Chapter 1640 — Disciples of the Mystic Sect
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 4
He went on to speak of Jingping's holdings as a man reciting his family treasures: what each supervisory workshop could produce, which workshops could be handed over to the Heavenly Court, which he hoped to keep for himself; he spoke of the provinces under Jingping, the heavens under its sway, what treasures those heavens yielded, how many Heavenly Coins filled Jingping's treasury, how many each province held, and so on and so forth.
Reading along, Yuchenzi shook his head.
Shen Mu had lowered himself too far; there was a hint of fawning in it.
"But why did the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping say that I might die delivering the letter of surrender?" he wondered inwardly.
Then he saw Shen Mu write on: "Langwan is the daughter of the Creator, a woman of peerless beauty and heaven-sent gifts; your servant has already slept with her. If Your Majesty should take a fancy to her and wish to make her Empress, your servant will travel night and day to deliver her to Your Majesty."
Yuchenzi shuddered again and again, his face black as iron, muttering inwardly, "So I really might die! The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping has a black heart. He says he has slept with Langwan — and Hao Tianzun, to be Heavenly Emperor, can never take a woman he has slept with, still less make such a woman his Empress! Over the first part of the letter Hao Tianzun may split his face with laughing, but over the latter part he may well have my head cut off!"
Shen Mu sealed the letter of surrender and handed it to Yuchenzi, saying, "Can Lord Yu accomplish this?"
Yuchenzi hesitated, then said with spirit, "I am willing to die for Jingping!"
Shen Mu gave him a long, searching look and said, "You need not die. With your talents, you can do all of it; only, beware of one man."
Yuchenzi's eyes flickered and he smiled. "He who knows me is the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping. May I ask who is worthy to be my opponent?"
"This man is named Meng Yungui — Master Meng, one of the Heavenly Court's four great Celestial Masters."
Shen Mu instructed him: "Meng Yungui once saw through my scheme to found a nation by forging. He is certain to see through my purpose in offering up this letter of surrender."
"The Imperial Preceptor's purpose is to use the negotiations over the surrender to delay the Heavenly Court from sending out its armies."
Yuchenzi said, "The reason the Imperial Preceptor set down how many supervisory workshops Jingping has and what each can produce is in truth to lay his own interests before the bandits. Were there but one bandit, that would be one thing; but in the Heavenly Court there are Hao, Huo, Xu, Zu, Taichu, Taiji — bandit chiefs, every one — and they must carve up Jingping's interests. How to divide the spoils will take time, time for them to contend one against another."
Shen Mu nodded. "And then?"
Yuchenzi, holding the letter of surrender, went on: "They will deliberate over how to divide it, but the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping may not be willing to give it up. Though the Imperial Preceptor has surrendered, once surrendered he becomes one of the Heavenly Court's ten Tianzun, and must take a share of the spoils as well. And a portion of Jingping's interests must be left intact besides. Only if Jingping survives can it bring the Heavenly Court greater benefit; therefore the Heavenly Court will not swallow Jingping whole in a single bite, and that leaves room for endless discussion and endless haggling."
Shen Mu nodded. "And then?"
"For the Heavenly Court's envoys to come to Jingping takes time; for them to return and report to the several Tianzun takes more time. For Jingping's envoys to go to the Heavenly Court and negotiate there takes time; for Jingping's envoys to come back and report to the Imperial Preceptor takes time again."