Iron spear, damaged plough.

Original translation by SunnySnow

Guo Jing and Huang Rong went to the back of Prince Zhao’s palace and leaped over the wall into the courtyard. Huang Rong whispered to Guo Jing in a soft voice:

“Your ‘light body’ Gong Fu is excellent!”

Guo Jing crouching by the foot of the wall watching out for any movement in the courtyard felt ecstatic at hearing such praise from her.

After a moment they heard some footsteps approaching – two men were laughing and talking as they walked towards them. One man was saying, “What do you think the prince has in mind with the young lady?”

The other man laughed and said, (not sure of this translation) “It’s obvious isn’t it? This type of pretty woman, after giving birth who would give her another glance?”

The first man retorted, “With your dirty mind, you had better be careful that the prince doesn’t cut your head off. This girl, although her face is pretty, she cannot compare to the princess.”

The second man exclaimed, “This peasant(??) girl! How can you compare her with the princess?”

The first man replied, “The princess, you said she (??)…” He suddenly stopped, coughed twice and changed the subject(?) saying, “The prince really suffered a loss at the hands of that big fellow today, you better be careful not to give him any cause for offence or you are sure to get a real beating!”

The second man said, “If the prince tries to beat me, I’ll simply dodge – and return with a kick…”

The first man laughed, “Stop talking ****(?)”

Guo Jing thought to himself, “So, that “Yuan Yan Kang” already has a pretty sweetheart no wonder he cannot marry the Mu girl. But if this true, then he shouldn’t have even taken up the challenge in the first place let alone grab her shoe. Why would he want to concern himself with other people’s affairs? Could it be that if a person is not willing to agree then he would use force to coerce them?

At this point the two men had walked very close (to Guo Jing and Huang Rong). One was carrying a lamp and the other a basket of food. They were dressed as servants, wearing green clothes and caps. The man with the basket laughed and said, “Talking about other people I fear that someone has already become very hungry, we had better deliver these vegetables quickly!”

The other man replied, “How can he win a young girls heart if he doesn’t gain her sympathy?” Both men laughed as they walked away into the distance.

Huang Rong became very curious. She whispered to Guo Jing, “Let’s go and see what type of pretty girl they are talk about”.

Guo Jing asked, “What about getting the medicine, isn’t that more urgent?”

“I want to see the girl first!” said Huang Rong stubbornly and she started off after the two servants.

Guo Jing thought, “What’s so interesting about seeing some girl? Really strange.”

What he didn’t know was that invariably when a woman hears about another beautiful woman, they will never be satisfied until they have seen them with their own eyes. If the women that hears about this other woman is herself especially beautiful, then all the more is the desire to see that other woman so she can compare herself to her! Guo Jing however did know enough about girls to know that they can be extremely difficult at times so he had no alternative but to follow.

The Zhao residence was huge. Guo Jing and Huang Rong followed the two servants for quite sometime before arriving in front of a big house. At the entrance stood a few guards with weapons in their arms. Guo Jing and Huang Rong hid behind a corner and heard the two servants whispering something to the guards before the guards opened the door and allowed them in. Huang Rong picked up a stone and flung it at the torches to put out the lights, before pulling Guo Jing with her to follow the servants in. Huang Rong was so swift that she and Guo Jing overtook the servants and were in front of them. The servants and guards didn’t notice that they slipped in and cursed and joke while starting the fire for the torches again. They entered a large room, before opening a small door at the corner and walked in. Guo Jing and Huang Rong followed them in silently and noticed rows of iron bars, forming a large prison cell. Behind the bars sat a woman and a man.

One of the servants lit a candle and placed it on the prison table. Under the candlelight, Guo Jing saw the man’s face which was anxious and furious; it was none other than Mu Yi. A young girl was sitting beside him and it was his daughter, Mu Nian Ci. Guo Jing was suspicious and thought, “How did they end up here? Ah, it must be WanYan Kang who captured them. What does his intend to do with them? Does he love this lady or not?” The two servants took out some wine and dishes from their basket and pushed it into the cell.

Mu Yi picked up a plate of snacks and flung it out before yelling, “I have already fallen into your trap, kill me if you want to. Why pretend to be so nice?”

Amongst the commotion, the guard outside suddenly said, “Greetings, little prince!”

Guo Jing and Huang Rong exchanged glances and hurriedly hid behind the door, only to see WanYan Kang rushing in and scolding, “Who made Hero Mu angry? Let’s see whether I will break your legs when we leave later.”

The two servants were frightened and dropped on their knees, “We dare not.”

WanYan Kang answered, “Hurry up and get lost.”

The two servants replied, “Yes, yes.” And turned to leave, but when they reached the door, they stuck their tongues out at each other, made funny faces and left.

WanYan Kang waited till they close the door, before saying gently, “I invited Hero Mu and Miss for something else, please don’t get offened.”

Mu Yi was furious, “You lock us up here like prisoners, and you dare use the word ‘invite’?”

WanYan Kang said, “I’m so sorry. Please bear with it for the time being, I’m really sorry.”

Mu Yi retorted angrily, “You can use this to cheat a three year old. I’ve seen enough of vicious officials.”

Wanyan Kang tried to speak out several times but was shut up by the angry Mu Yi. Yet, he still remained good natured and laughed joyfully without a tint of anger.

Mu Nian Ci listened to the argument and whispered to her father, “Father, let’s hear what he has to say.”

It was then that Mu Yi grunted before becoming silent.

Wanyan Kang said, “Your daughter has rare talents and beauty. I’m not blind so how can I possibly not like her?”

Mu Nian Ci blushed deeply and lowered her head.

Wanyan Kang continued, “However, I am the eldest son of Prince Zhao and my family rules are very strict. If people know that I marry a commoner, my father will be furious and will face a lot of trouble.”

Mu Yi replied, “Then what do you plan to do?”

Wanyan Kang replied, “I was thinking of letting Hero Mu and Miss stay here for a few days to recover from any injuries, before going back. After a year or half, when the situation is better, I will either go and ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage or Hero Mu you send Miss to me so as to complete the marriage. Isn’t this a perfect solution?”

Mu Yi remained silent, though he was thinking about another thing.

Wanyan Kang continued, “My father has gotten into trouble all because of me. The emperor even reprimanded him three months ago. If my father learns about this now, he will never agree the marriage. So I hope that Hero Mu keeps this secret tight.”

Mu Yi turns furious, “If I listen to what you say then my daughter will suffer if she is with you since everything has to be kept under wraps.

Wanyan Kang replied, “I have everything planned out already, I will get some grand officials to ask for her hand in marriage, it must be a grand and joyous affair.”

Mu Yi’s faced suddenly paled and he said, “Please ask your mother to see me so that I can discuss this with her.”

Wanyan Kang smiled and said, “How can my mother meet you?”

Mu Yi yelled, “If I don’t get to meet your mother, I won’t give in to you no matter what you come up with.” With that, he picked up the jar of wine and threw it out.

Ever since Mu Nian Ci fought with Wanyan Kang, she already fell for him and was delighted after she heard his plan. But her father’s sudden outburst changed everything and she didn’t know whether she was surprised or dejected.

WanYan Kang flipped over and caught the wine jar in time before putting it back on the table and laughed, “I’m leaving!” before turning to go.

After hearing Wanyan Kang’s words, Guo Jing felt that the former had his reasons and a very good plan, but who would expect Mu Yi to lose his temper. He thought, “I will try to convince him now.” He was about to go out when Huang Rong pulled his sleeve and brought him out of the house.

They heard Wanyan Kang ask a servant, “Have you brought it?” The servant nodded and raised his arm to reveal a rabbit. Wanyan Kang took the rabbit from him and broke it’s hind legs in a flash, before placing it in his pocket and hurrying off. Guo Jing and Huang Rong felt curious and followed behind him. After a while, they saw a small three-roomed hut. It was a normal hut like any other commoner’s but stood out amongst the grand surroundings of the Zhao residence. The two felt very curious. They saw Wanyan Kang open the door and enter the hut. They tiptoed to the back of the house and peered into the window. They were sure that there was something secretive in the hut, which Wanyan Kang kept. However, they heard something they did not expect when he called out, “Mother!”

A woman’s voice answered him. Wanyan Kang walked into the room, Huang Rong and Guo Jing saw a middle-aged woman sitting beside a table, gazing blankly into space. This woman looked no more than forty, had very delicate features but wore little powder on her face and very common robes.

Huang Rong thought, “This princess is indeed prettier than Miss Mu, but why does she dress so shabbily and live in such a hut? Has she fallen out of Prince Zhao’s favor?”

Guo Jing was thinking about the same thing at first but later felt that it was nothing special. He thought, “She must be like Rong’er. She purposely dress up shabbily like a peasant for fun.”

Wanyan Kang walked to her side, pulled her arm and said, “Mother, are you ill again?”

The woman sighed, “I was worrying for you.”

Wanyan Kang leaned on her and giggled, “But your son is standing healthily in front of you.”

The woman replied, “With swollen eyes and a broken nose? You call that fine? You are getting more and more naughty, it’s alright if your father knows, but if your teacher learns about it, you’ll be in hot soup.”

Wanyan Kang giggled, “Mother, do you know who is the Taoist priest who came today?”

The woman asked, “Who?”

Wanyan Kang replied, “He is my teacher’s martial brother, and is my elder. But I purposely pretend to be ignorant of that fact and called him Taoist this, Taoist that. He scowled and was furious but couldn’t do anything.” With that, he started laughing again.

The woman was alarmed and said, “Oh no! I’ve seen your teacher flare up before and he can kill people. It’s really a frightening thought.”

Wanyan Kang was curious and asked, “You’ve seen teacher kill before? When? Why did he kill people?”

The woman lifted her head and gazed at the light, as if she was somewhere far away and said gently, “That was a long time ago. Ah, I cannot remember anymore!”

Wanyan Kang did not probe further, instead he grinned smugly and said, “That Taoist Wang came to ask me how was I going to deal with the marriage and I told him that if he brought Miss Mu to me, I would listen to whatever he say.”

The woman asked, “Have you asked your father permission? Has he agreed?”

Wanyan Kang smiled, “Mother, you are too honest. I asked my men to trick them into coming here and locked them up in the back cell earlier on. How does Taoist Wang expect to find them then?” Wanyan Kang was going through the events in an excited manner while Guo Jing was fuming outside.

Guo Jing thought, “To think that I actually thought that he had good intentions just now! Luckily Hero Mu is wise not to fall into his trap.”

The woman answered exasperatedly, “How can you make fun of his daughter and lock them up? Hurry and release them now, and remember to apologize and give them some money.”

Guo Jing nodded his head and thought, “That’s more like it.”

Wanyan Kang said, “Mother, you don’t understand! These swordsmen don’t care about money. If I release them and they go round telling people what happen, father will hear about it.”

The woman became anxious, “Then do you want to lock them up forever?”

Wanyan Kang smiled, “I sweet talked them into going back to their village and let them stupidly wait for me forever.” With that, he burst out laughing.

Guo Jing was shaking furiously at this time, he raised a palm towards the window frame and was about to yell out when he felt a soft and smooth palm cover his mouth and someone grab his left wrist. A gentle voice whispered into his ear, “Calm down.”

Guo Jing recovered and turned towards Huang Rong with a faint smile before looking back into the room again.

Wanyan Kang continued, “That Mu fellow is really cunning, he doesn’t take the bait. But let’s see how long he can last if I lock him up for another couple of days.”

His mother answered, “I’ve seen Miss Mu and I find her beautiful and talented. She is quite likeable. Why not I talk to your father and ask him to let you marry her, then everything will be solved.”

Wanyan Kang laughed, “Mother, for the last time, we are royalty. How can I marry such a commoner? Father always tells me that he will arrange a respectable match for me. But it’s a pity that we are the Wanyans.”

The woman asked, “Why?”

Wanyan Kang replied, “If not, I can marry the princess and become the crown prince.”

The woman sighed and said in a low voice, “How can you look down on poor commoners…do you really think that…”

Wanyan Kang laughed, “Mother, I have a joke for you. That Mu fellow says that he will only believe me if he meets up and discuss with you.”

The woman replies, “I won’t help you to lie and do such despicable things.”

Wanyan Kang giggled aloud and walked around in circles. He said, “Even if you are willing to do so, I will not allow it. You don’t know how to lie and will be exposed on the spot.”

Huang Rong and Guo Jing studied the room, which was furnished with normal wood furniture and normal farming tools. On the wall hung a moldy sphere and a broken plough. An old wooden carriage was placed in the corner of the room. Both of them thought, “This woman is a princess. Why is her house so plainly furnished?”

Wanyan Kang pressed his chest and the rabbit in his pocket let out a squeal.

The woman asked, “What’s that?”

Wanyan Kang replied, “Ah, I almost forgot. I saw an injured rabbit just now and picked it up. Mother, please tend to it.” He took out a little white rabbit and placed it on the table. The rabbit’s hind legs were broken and it couldn’t move.

The woman asked, “Good child!” She hurriedly took out some tools and medicine and tended to the rabbit’s injury.

Guo Jing started to fume again and thought, “This man purposely injures the rabbit as he knows that his mother is kind-hearted and will tend to its injuries. Therefore, the woman will forget about the bad stuff that he has done. How can he be so evil as to make use of his mother’s kind nature and cheat her?”

Huang Rong was leaning on him and felt Guo Jing’s whole body quiver. She knew that he must be fuming with anger and was afraid that he couldn’t control it and burst out at Wanyan Kang. She pulled his hand and said, “Let’s ignore them, come, let’s go and find the medicine.”

Guo Jing asked, “You know where they hid the medicine?”

Huang Rong shook her head, “No. So we have to go and find out.”

Guo Jing thought about how huge the Zhao residence was and wondered where to start finding, “It would de disastrous if we alert Shao Tongtian and the rest…” he was about to discuss this with Huang Rong when there was a flash of light in front of them. A man was carrying a small lantern while humming a tune. He was walking nearer and nearer to them. Guo Jing was about to slip behind a tree when Huang Rong rushed forward, towards the man. The man was alarmed and before he could say anything, Huang Rong flipped her palm and shot out a shiny steel object (direct translation) which pierced into his throat, she asked, “Who are you?”

The man got a fright of life and only managed to answer after awhile, “I…I am the caretaker. What…what are you doing?”

Huang Rong answered, “What am I doing? I am going to kill you! You are the caretaker? That’s great. Where did you keep the medicine that your little prince asked people to buy during the day?”

The caretaker replied, “I…I don’t know. Little prince kept it himself!”

Huang Rong used her left hand to twist his wrist and used her right hand to push forward slightly, causing the steel object to pierce even deeper into his throat. The caretaker felt strong pain shoot through his wrist but didn’t dare scream out loud.

Huang Rong said in a low voice, “Are you going to tell me or not?”

The caretaker responded, “I really don’t know.”

Huang Rong used her right hand to remove his cap and stuffed it into his mouth. Following that, her left hand pulled and twisted his arm. A crack sound was heard as she broke the bone of his right shoulder. The caretaker yelled out aloud before fainting onto the ground. However the cap in his mouth muffled his voice.

Guo Jing was stunned as didn’t expect this young petite lady to be so vicious and cruel in her actions. Huang Rong shook the caretaker and he came around. She swiftly removed the cap from his mouth and placed it back on his head before saying, “Do you want me to break your left shoulder as well?”

The caretaker wept in pain and answered weakly, “I really don’t know. Even if Miss kills me, I still won’t know.”

Huang Rong only believed him then, she lowered her voice and said, “Go and find little prince now and tell him that you fell and broke your shoulder. Also tell him that you suffer serious internal injures and the physician says that you must take the medicine which he bought up earlier and is not available in the shops now. Beg him to give you some of the medicine.”

The caretaker listened attentively to Huang Rong’s instructions and dared not question anything.

Huang Rong continued, “Hurry up, little prince is at the princess’s place. I am going to follow you and if I see that you do not act properly, I will break your neck and dig out your eyes.” With that, she stretched out her fingers and made a clawing sign at the skin of his eyes. The caretaker shivered and stood up; he clenched his teeth, ignored the dreadful pain and dashed towards the princess’s house.

Wanyan Kang was still talking with his mother when the caretaker suddenly dashed in, sweating and crying. He repeated what Huang Rong instructed him to say. The princess saw that his face was as white as a sheet and knew he was in great pain, she didn’t wait for Wanyan Kang’s answer and immediately ordered him to give the caretaker the medicine.

Wanyan Kang frowned and said, “The medicine is with Mister Liang, go and find him yourself.”

The caretaker wept and said, “Little prince, please write a note for me.”

The princess immediately took out some paper, ink and a brush and Wanyan Kang wrote the note. The caretaker bowed and thanked them while the princess said gently, “Hurry and take the medicine to cure your injuries.”

The caretaker came out of the house and walked a few steps when he felt the cold blade of a knife on the skin of his neck. He heard Huang Rong say, “Go to Mister Liang now.”

The caretaker walked a little but he could take the pain no longer and fell to the ground.

Huang Rong said, “If you don’t get the medicine, your neck will be broken into two.” With that, she pressed onto his head and turned it forcefully.

The caretaker got a shock and had a sudden wave of determination. Sweating non-stop, he hurried on. They passed by seven or eight servants but no one questioned anything when they saw Guo Jing and Huang Rong.

When they reached Liang Ziwong’s quarters, they found the door locked. A servant then tells them that he has gone to the fragrant snow guest hall. Guo Jing saw the caretaker having difficulty walking and helped him along the way. They were reaching the guest hall, when two guards carrying lanterns in one hand and sabers in another said, “Stop, who’s there?”

The caretaker took out the note written by Wanyan Kang and gave it to the guards. They glanced at it and let him through before going up to question Guo Jing and Huang Rong, the caretaker said, “It’s our own people.”

One of the guards said, “The prince is having a banquet with important guests, so no one is allowed to disturb them. If you have anything, you can come back tomorrow to…” he didn’t finish his sentence when the two guards felt strength less, numb and were unable to move as Huang Rong had sealed their points. Huang Rong hid them in the bushes before grabbing Guo Jing’s hand and made their way towards the entrance of the hall. She gently pushed the caretaker forward and swung up with Guo Jing. They caught the wooden window frame and peered inside the hall.

The hall was brightly lighted with a huge banquet table in the middle. Guo Jing looked at the people sitting around the table and his heart beat furiously. He saw the same people in the same room as earlier, such as the junior chief of white camel mountain, Ouyang Ke, the dragon king of the demonic group, Sha Tongtian, his martial brother, the three headed dragon, Hou Tonghai, ginseng immortal, Liang Ziwong, the slaughterer of a thousand hands, Peng Lianhu and the head of the banquet was the Jin sixth prince, Wanyan Honglie. At a corner of the table was a thickly padded grand chair, which sat superior virtue Lingzhi, who had a golden complexion and looked seriously injured.

Guo Jing laughed in glee, “You ambushed Taoist Wang, so it serves you right, have a taste of your own medicine.”

The caretaker entered the room and bowed towards Liang Ziwong before handing him the note written by Wanyan Kang.

Liang Ziwong read the note, glanced at the caretaker and handed the note to Wanyan Honglie, “Prince, is this written by little prince?”

Wanyan Honglie looked through the note and said, “Yes, please follow what it says Mister Liang.”

Liang Ziwong turned behind and instructed a dwarf dressed in green, “Go and take out five grams each of the medicine which little prince delivered today and give it to the caretaker.”

The dwarf nodded and followed the caretaker out.

Guo Jing whispered to Huang Rong, “Let’s go, these people here are too formidable.”

Huang Rong smiled and shook her head. A strand of Huang Rong’s soft hair brushed pass Guo Jing’s face and he felt a tickling sensation not only on his face but also in his heart. He didn’t argue with her and jumped down. Huang Rong hurriedly grab his wrist, flung her body forward, locked her legs on the high wooden pole and gently released Guo Jing onto the ground.

Guo Jing was relieved, “What a close shave, if I just jumped that like that, won’t it alert the top fighters inside?” Guo Jing was not a veteran Jiang Hu traveler and tended to be careless at times.

The caretaker and the dwarf came out and Guo Jing followed behind them. He walked ten steps before turning around and saw that Huang Rong had done a somersault and was peering into the hall with her legs hooked on top and her head below. There was a light breeze, causing her white robe to float gently, the image looked like a blooming white lily amongst the darkness. Huang Rong glanced into the hall and saw that no one had notice her presence, she turned around and watched till Guo Jing’s figure disappeared into the darkness before turning her attention back to what was going on in the hall.

Suddenly, Peng Lianhu turned around, and with eyes quick as lightning; he did a check on the windows. Huang Rong didn’t dare look anymore, and only crouched near the window to hear what was going on. She heard a rasp voice say, “Do you people think that Wang Chuyi turned up coincidentally or was it for a reason?”

A high pitched voice replied, “No matter whether he has ill intentions or not, having being injured by superior virtue Lingzi would leave him dead, or at least crippled.”

Huang Rong glanced into the hall and saw that the person talking was Peng Lianhu, who was petite and had eyes that looked like lightning. She heard a clear voice laugh, “We would hear of the seven sons of Quanzhen even when we are in Tibet. They really live up to their name, if it were not for superior virtue Lingzi’s attack, we would have been defeated by him.”

A deep and rough voice answered, “Mister Ouyang, you don’t have to flatter me, both me and that Taoist priest are injured, there is no winner.”

Ouyang Ke said, “Anyway you just have to recuperate quietly for some time whereas even if he doesn’t die, he would end up a handicapped!”

After this comment no one spoke. The host could then be heard toasting all the assembled guests. Guest by guest he said, “Sir has come from a great distance to visit, I am deeply honored! It reflects greatly on the Jin nation to have such honored guests as yourself!”

Huang Rong thought to herself that the person speaking must be Prince Zhao Wanyan Honglie. The assembled guests then all answered with modest protestations as decorum required.

Wanyan Honglie then continued, “Lingzhi is Tibet’s foremost monk, Liang is a master of great learning and integrity, Chief Ouyang is an legendary leader of military virtue, Master Peng’s prestige is widely feared on the central plains, Formidable Sha rules over Yellow River! If any one hero among the five of you lent a hand, the Jin Nation’s challenges could be overcome, imagine what could be achieved with all five of you united together! Ha Ha! That would be akin to having a lion using all it’s strength to catch a rabbit!” At this he sounded very arrogant indeed.

Liang Ziwong smiled and said, “If Your Lordship has a task for us to carry out, you need only say it and we will gladly carry it out. Only this old man’s (referring to himself) GongFu is very shabby and weak. I fear that if I was to be entrusted with such a task by you Lordship I would fail and not be able to show my worthless face again, ha ha!” Peng Lianhu also added a few self depreciating remarks in the same vein.

These men have always been the center of attention and power in their own areas and were not used to having to make humble and polite comments in the presence of a noble such as Wanyan Honglie.

Wanyan Honglie again toasted each guest in turn with a cup of wine, “Humble Prince is deeply moved by your presence here tonight. I talk of a great matter with you all. This matter cannot be mentioned to any other person outside of this room. If it were to escape it would cause great trouble for my Jin nation. This humble prince places his great confidence in your hands.”

These words, although humbly spoken, implied a great importance and caused everyone to present to take note that this must be a very serious matter that required the utmost secrecy. Everyone therefore replied, “Your Lordship need not fear, no words that are spoken here tonight will leave this room!”

The five invited guests all knew that the reason for their invitation must be a matter of great importance. Something that would require no small measure of effort to carry out. Although having spared no expense in sending them presents of gold, silver and other valuables, Wanyan Honglie had still not made any mention of what task he would be asking them to perform. Now that he was about to reveal such a deeply held secret, there was not one person present who didn’t feel highly interested and excited.

Wanyan Honglie spoke again boasting about the weakness of the last two emperors Hui Zong and his son Qin Zong and how the mighty Jin Army secured a crushing victory over the Northern Song Empire. All the guests cheered at this speech.

Huang Rong thought to herself angrily, “How Shameless! Everyone aside from that Tibetan Monk are Chinese. The Jin Prince is boasting about how his country had invaded our country and held our two emperors captive and you are all actually cheering him on!”

She heard Wanyan Honglie again speak, “At that time our Great Jin soldiers were vigorous, their numbers were vast, but now after almost 100 years the Zhao officials serve our emperor at Huangzhou. Esteemed guests, can you guess why they serve there?”

Liang Ziwong said, “Please enlighten us your Lordship.”

Wanyan Honglie sighed, “This year Yue Fei had defeated us and he had us in his hands and although there was no one who did not know it who dared to say it out loud? Our Jin Generals knew how to lead troops but when they encountered Yue Fei they were always defeated. Even after Qin Gui ordered Yue Fei’s execution our soldiers were still demoralized by their earlier defeats that they lacked the willpower to act against the Southern Song. However this although the humble prince has the ambition to act, he lacks the abilities to succeed. If my guests with their god like abilities were to help with this enterprise, then there is no way that we could not succeed and earn great merit.”

All the guests looked at each other without fully understanding exactly what was being asked. They all thought, “Charging enemies and fighting valiantly, taking cities and seizing territory, truly all of us can do, but could it be that he actually (only?) wants us to go and kill the Southern Song palace’s general (Yuan?)?

Wanyan Honglie’s face showed self importance (de2 yi4). His voice was slightly trembling, “A couple of months ago, this humble prince was looking through some old files in the palace when I stumbled across a letter left behind by the former emperor. It was actually a few lines written by Yue Fei, the phrasin