Chapter 133 Fan Zeng
I drove with Ersha, and we arrived at Xiang Yu's temporary residence at Hongmen 15 minutes later. After the car stopped, Ersha asked in a daze, "Are we here?"
I looked at the familiar guard at the door and said, "Yes."
Ersha looked back at the road he came from: "It's so close. I'll go back and get a coat."
"Stop joking, you can't go back." It seems the ten-minute drive didn't make Ersha realize how much times had changed. He glanced around anxiously. I said, "Don't worry, nobody here recognizes you anymore."
I know Ersha is afraid of being recognized, not because he's afraid of Qin Shi Huang's men harming him, but because he's afraid the news of his survival will reach Prince Dan's ears and make him seem like a coward clinging to life. It's like an online transaction; Prince Dan and Jing Ke had already agreed on a cash-for-goods deal, and Ersha had already paid with his life—essentially, the deal was done once. He can't afford to die again just because Prince Dan has the payment receipt. But things aren't clear yet, and Ersha values his reputation highly.
Upon alighting from the carriage and entering the mansion, we were greeted by a bustling scene. Ersha and I went straight into the living room. Xiang Yu, still dressed in simple clothes, sat in the center. Ersha crept up behind me furtively; I knew he was planning to suddenly jump out and surprise Xiang Yu, so I smiled and walked towards him. As soon as Xiang Yu stood up—his height of over two meters immediately gave him an advantage—he could clearly see even a clod of dirt beneath my heel, let alone someone hiding behind me. Xiang Yu laughed, "Don't hide anymore, I can see you." With that, he reached out and pulled Ersha out.
Ersha said unhappily, "Can't you just pretend you didn't see me?" Xiang Yu and I both laughed.
I said, "Brother Yu, what are you busy with?"
Xiang Yu said, "Didn't we invite Liu Xiaosan to lunch at noon?"
I asked in surprise, "The Feast at Hongmen was eaten at noon?"
"Who cares if it's noon or night? Just eat quickly and get rid of him, that's all."
I smiled and said, "That's true. How's the preparation going?"
Xiang Yu said, "There's nothing to prepare. We'll start eating when he arrives, and then we'll send him away."
I said, "What about Xiang Zhuang and Fan Zeng..."
"Xiang Zhuang is not currently in the area, and my adoptive father has not contacted me yet. As for whether my uncle has secretly met with Liu Xiaosan, I do not know."
I stroked my chin and said, "It seems to be a chain reaction. Even the slightest change can affect the whole situation. This meal was completely different from before."
Xiang Yu waved his hand and said, "What I mean is that we should just finish this quickly so everyone can rest. Let's skip all that sword and spear fighting."
I frowned and asked, "Will this work?"
Xiang Yu said, "Why not? Anyway, I didn't kill him at the Feast at Hongmen, so isn't this exactly what I planned?"
I slowly shook my head and said, "No. In my opinion, it means this—you didn't kill him at the Feast at Hongmen, but you scared him enough, which made Liu Xiaosan vigilant and feel a sense of urgency, so he desperately developed and grew stronger, and finally seized the world. So, we can't just eat this meal and leave it at that; we still need to give him a proper warning."
Xiang Yu snorted and laughed, "Damn it, do I have to rush him to come and beat me?"
I said, "Isn't this what you said? The sooner it's over, the better. The sooner you finish that scene at Gaixia, the free you and your sister-in-law will be. Brother Ying and the Liangshan gang are waiting for you to come over."
"Shall we make the most of this act? But what if Xiang Zhuang isn't here? Actually, even if he were here, I wouldn't feel comfortable letting him come again. Xiang Zhuang has a fiery temper. If it weren't for my uncle stopping him last time, he would have killed ten Liu Xiaosans."
I scratched my head and said, "That's a problem. We need to find someone who can act, and who understands that we can't really kill Bangzi..."
At this moment, Xiang Yu and I both glanced at Er Sha. Speaking of acting, Er Sha was quite the expert; he'd even rehearsed the assassination attempt on Fatty. As for relationships, he'd always been good to Liu Bang; no one was more unwilling to kill this kid than him…
Seeing us all looking at him, Ersha said disdainfully, "I know, they're making me fake it again—"
I picked up the sword on the wall and handed it to him with a smile, saying, "Here's a long one for you this time. Swing it around and scare that brat Liu Bang, just don't hurt him."
Ersha drew his longsword and twirled it a few times, even making a few feints in front of and behind my head. The cold wind whistled through the air, making me shrink back in fright. Ersha asked, "Is this okay?"
Thus, a great and tragic assassin was completely transformed into an actor, taking on different roles and performing in various places...
I said to Xiang Yu, "After Ke Zi goes into battle, there's still your uncle. We can't discuss this with him, can we?"
Xiang Yu said, "Well... that depends on how clever Zhang Liang is. Even if my uncle doesn't stop Ke Zi after he stalls for a while, he should at least know to call Fan Kuai in, right?"
"Zhang Liang, the one who picked up the old man's shoe in exchange for a strategy guide, right? Hmm, he should be reliable." I suddenly realized what kind of people Liu Bang had under his command—someone who picked up an old man's shoe, someone who crawled between people's legs. And Liu Bang himself wasn't much better; when he ran away, he didn't care about his wife, children, parents, or brothers—a truly despicable trio. It's a shame that the world was taken by these guys; I feel sorry for Xiang Yu.
After thinking it over, I took out a blue pill and gave it to Xiang Yu, saying, "Brother Yu, this can't go on forever. You'll definitely have a chance to drink with him during dinner. Why don't you take advantage of that to win him over? With Bangzi's brains, he shouldn't give himself away by then. Then we can find a place to discuss it privately. That way, we'll achieve twice the result with half the effort."
Xiang Yu glanced at the medicine in my hand, snorted coldly, and said, "What do you mean by this? Didn't I say I'd defeat him with my own strength, and then do him a favor? I won't give him the medicine until then. Are you worried I really can't beat him?"
I sighed inwardly; this had stirred up the pride of our overlord once again. I just couldn't understand it—how could he be so different from Liu Bang? If Bang were in a similar situation, he'd probably have to resort to poisoning or assassination to get the medicine. The difference between a petty thug and a nobleman was starkly evident. But since ancient times, nobles have never been able to defeat petty thugs. I don't know whether this is the pride of us petty thugs… uh, no, I should say the tragedy of us nobles, or the pride of the petty thugs—
I stuffed the medicine into Xiang Yu's hand and said, "Here's the medicine. Do what you want with it."
Just then, a man walked in from outside. He was dressed in simple scholar's attire, appeared to be over sixty, and had a handsome oval face with a long beard, mostly white with a few black hairs, making a striking impression. The old man must have been a very handsome man in his youth. However, his eyes were somewhat shifty, revealing him to be a cunning and shrewd fellow.
He could enter without being announced, so he must be someone very close to Xiang Yu. Xiang Yu bowed slightly and said, "Uncle Fan." Sure enough—it was Fan Zeng.
The old man bowed to Xiang Yu without hesitation before glancing at me and Ersha. I didn't know how to greet him, so I just waved a few times haphazardly. Fan Zeng looked at me with suspicion. Xiang Yu put his arm around my shoulder and laughed, "This is one of our own, my brother Xiaoqiang. Your father has heard of him."
Fan Zeng's expression softened considerably, and he said, "Is it that little guy who ran away with a smile from Zhang Han?"
Sigh, fame is a burden! Look at our reputation now!
Fan Zeng said, "Since we're on the same side, I'll speak frankly about what's on my mind."
Xiang Yu and I exchanged a glance...
"Liu Bang is coming today..."
As expected! Fan Zeng came about Liu Bang's affairs. It seems history isn't all coincidence, but rather a matter of inevitability. Cao Wushang, a habitual traitor, once again leaked Liu Bang's secrets. Xiang Yu, who has always looked down on "Liu the Third," constantly berated him, and a few harsh words from him mobilized the entire army to prepare for an attack on Liu. Even without Xiang Bo's warning, Liu Bang should have known. Knowing his character, he wouldn't risk a direct confrontation, so he hurriedly came to buy time. He must have known beforehand that this trip was fraught with uncertainty and risk. Before the meal was even finished, another storm was brewing.
Xiang Yu waved his hand and said, "I know, you've come here to have me kill him."
Fan Zeng was taken aback and was speechless for a moment.
Xiang Yu said, "Whether or not Liu Bang is killed is up to me. I know everything you have to say, so you don't need to say anything more."
Fan Zeng: "..."