Chapter 28: Second Only to One

Fan Li rubbed the tip of his nose, as if catching a faint sourness in the air.

An illusion?

He readily admitted he did not understand women, nor did he care to puzzle over Xiang Ning’s thoughts.

“There is one matter, Your Majesty, that you might wish to consider.”

“Hm?” Xiang Ning, seeing Fan Li evade her question, felt a pang of disappointment. Yet noticing he seemed inclined to discuss serious business, she hastily composed herself, feigning gravity.

Fan Li said, “Great Chu should seek to win over Lü Chunqiu.”

“To win over Lü Chunqiu? How could that possibly be done?” Xiang Ning was taken aback.

Her mind could scarcely keep pace; she could only stare wide-eyed at Fan Li.

“Just now you said that surrendering to Great Ming was Lü’s best option…”

Fan Li smiled. “Surrendering to Great Ming is indeed the best choice for the Lü clan. But drawing Lü to our side would be the best choice for Great Chu.”

Schemes of power do not concern themselves with what is reasonable or just, but only with what is advantageous.

This was a truth Xiang Ning did not grasp, but Fan Li did.

Xiang Ning stood dumbfounded, murmuring, “Is that possible? Among the three emperors, I am the youngest and least experienced, while Lü Chunqiu enjoys fame throughout the world, a teacher among scholars. How could I possibly make him submit?”

At least she had some self-awareness.

Though she had not yet met the Emperor Jiajing, merely meeting the Han Emperor Liu Xie today left Xiang Ning feeling somewhat inferior.

Liu Xie, Emperor of Han, was indeed a feeble figure, long bullied by Dong Zhuo in his own country. Yet even so, Liu Xie was a master of the Harmonized Path, his prowess among the highest in Han. It was only that his strength was slightly inferior to Dong Zhuo’s, and politically he was thoroughly suppressed, reduced to a puppet emperor.

Fan Li was about to say more when a chime sounded in his mind.

“New mission issued: Rule Under Heaven!”

“Mission description: Establish at least one sphere of influence outside the borders of Great Chu.”

“Mission reward: One substitute doll.”

Fan Li was secretly delighted!

Another substitute doll?

Just what he needed!

He had already noticed that his progress in cultivation seemed slow. Not just slow compared to the Fan siblings—after all, the three of them were all prodigies—but even with all the pills and elixirs the Fan family could procure, and his tireless practice day and night with his avatar, he had only just reached the fourth tier of the Body Refinement Realm.

Day and night of hard training, and only a single tier’s advancement—Fan Li felt embarrassed even to think of it.

“With another substitute doll, I can create a perfect avatar, doubling my training efficiency. Within a year, I must break through to the next major realm!”

“Your Majesty, the matter of winning over Lü Chunqiu—I will handle it.”

Hearing this, Xiang Ning was overjoyed.

In crucial moments, he could always be counted on to resolve her worries.

Compared to Dong Zhuo, the Grand Preceptor of Han, Fan Li was far superior.

“One day I must tell the Han Emperor not to compare Dong Zhuo to Fan Li—hmph!” she thought.

Having promised, Fan Li lost no time. He immediately sent word, requesting a private audience with the Marquis Wenxin.

Fan Li had expected that with the three sovereigns gathering in Lü City, Lü Chunqiu would surely be busy. To his surprise, Lü’s residence quickly replied that the marquis was free and could see him at once.

…

Lü Residence.

The home of the greatest noble clan and the richest family in the realm.

Fan Li had imagined Lü’s mansion would be dazzlingly ornate, perhaps rivaling even the palace in splendor.

But to his surprise, when he stepped through the gates, the buildings that greeted him were solemn and austere, without a hint of extravagant gold or jade.

“Your presence graces my humble abode, Lord Jin,” Lü Chunqiu greeted him, attended only by his daughter, Lü Fubao, with no servants in sight.

“Forgive the intrusion, Marquis,” Fan Li smiled, offering a courteous bow.

As the two men prepared to exchange polite words, Lü Fubao suddenly interjected.

“You’re so young—why do you talk like such an old man? And besides, you’re really weak. Only at the fourth tier of the Body Refinement Realm—how did you become so powerful in Great Chu’s court?”

Her words left both Fan Li and Lü Chunqiu embarrassed.

Fan Li was embarrassed because Lü Fubao had exposed his weakness; his cultivation level was unimpressive wherever he went.

Lü Chunqiu, on the other hand, was embarrassed by his daughter’s brazen tongue—she had just blurted out to a guest what father and daughter had discussed in private.

In Han, the powerful Dong Zhuo was a master of the Harmonized Path and reputedly the number one expert in the realm! Yet here in Great Chu, a mere fourth-tier Body Refiner could wield such power?

Even knowing how deeply rooted the Fan family was in Chu, Lü Chunqiu still found it hard to believe.

“And this is…?” Fan Li looked toward Lü Fubao.

“My daughter is mischievous. Please forgive her, Lord Jin,” Lü Chunqiu said quickly. “She is but fifteen. You are her elder—please, pay her no mind.”

Before Fan Li could reply, Lü Fubao piped up, “Father, he doesn’t look much older than me. Why should he be my elder?”

The two men could only share another awkward chuckle.

Unlike last time, when he received the Emperor Jiajing in the main hall, Lü Chunqiu now welcomed Fan Li in a different setting. Lü Residence featured an inner lake, and by its shore stood the Pavilion of Listening to the Tides. Servants set out fragrant tea and delicate pastries, and Fan Li joined Lü Chunqiu in the pavilion.

“Father, what do you think the villainous minister from Chu wants with you?” Lü Fubao whispered at her father’s side.

Lü Chunqiu could only sweat in embarrassment.

He lowered his voice, “Keep your mouth shut. Be careful not to let him overhear.”

But Lü Fubao replied, “The wind is strong in the pavilion, and his cultivation is so low. He’s sitting more than twenty feet away—he can’t possibly hear us.”

Fan Li could only smile wryly.

For some reason, he discovered his six senses were exceptionally sharp. Despite the distance and the wind, he could hear the father and daughter’s conversation as clearly as if they sat beside him.

“Father, I bet you Fan Li isn’t here to recruit you,” Lü Fubao continued.

“Oh? And how do you know?” Lü Chunqiu whispered.

“Because Chu is too weak!” Lü Fubao’s voice was quiet, yet her tone was full of certainty. “Surely they know their own limits? That little emperor Xiang Ning? And this Lord Jin in front of us, only at the Body Refinement Realm? What gives them the nerve to try to win over our Lü clan?”

Lü Chunqiu forced a bitter smile—yet he couldn’t deny that his daughter made sense. Clearly, all his years teaching the scholars of the Confucian path had not been wasted; his daughter had learned much.

“A ruler like the Emperor Jiajing—one such hero in all the land is enough. In today’s Chu, I fear no one has the spirit of Emperor Jiajing to dare recruit the Wenxin Marquis and his lineage.”

He spoke with confidence, though still in a whisper.

At last, recalling that Fan Li had been sitting in silence, Lü Chunqiu turned to him so as not to be a poor host. “May I ask, Lord Jin, what brings you here today?”

This pair, gossiping about him behind his back, left Fan Li both amused and exasperated.

He decided to come straight to the point. “Nothing else—I have come solely to invite the Marquis Wenxin to join Great Chu. Should the marquis agree, I can guarantee that your position in Chu will be below only two people, and above all others!”

“Cough! Cough! Cough!”

Lü Fubao, just sipping her tea, was seized by a fit of coughing.

Lü Chunqiu, too, stared in shock, scarcely able to believe his ears.

He could not help but ask, “Did you say… below only two men and above all others? Did you misspeak, Lord Jin? If I were to serve Chu, should I not be below only the emperor?”

Fan Li lifted his chin and replied, “The marquis would of course be second only to His Majesty—but above His Majesty, is there not myself?”