Journey to the West 81 Cases: Chronicles of the Western Kings (Sifang Pavilion) - Chapter 14

Not far from the walls of Gaochang City, Qu Wentai and Zhang Xiong were on edge, nervously watching the area outside the city. Due to the delay caused by Xuanzang and his companions, the merchant caravans and commoners gathered outside the city had already entered, and the city gates were closed. However, Qu Wentai and Zhang Xiong remained uneasy. Both had spent half their lives in military campaigns and knew that the Gaochang royal city was in imminent danger. One wrong move could mean the end of the Gaochang Kingdom.

“Tai Huan,” Qu Wentai said, furrowing his brows, “Why are the allied forces of the three kingdoms staying outside the city? Why are they surrounding the Third Prince and the Master without making a move?”

Zhang Xiong shook his head, “Your Majesty, it looks like they are talking. It’s too far to hear what they are saying.”

“Were you able to see the appearance of that masked knight just now?” Qu Wentai rubbed his eyes, “My eyesight has gotten worse these past two years! Everything is a blur.”

“Your Majesty, he looks somewhat like Ashina Nishu,” Zhang Xiong replied.

Qu Wentai was shocked and asked, “Nishu? Isn’t Nishu at Daqing Pool? That’s thousands of miles away. How could he suddenly appear among the allied forces?”

Zhang Xiong smiled wryly, “Your Majesty, you know the relationship between Nishu and Long Shuangyuezhi. Given his temper, as soon as he heard that the Third Prince had taken Long Shuangyuezhi, wouldn’t he rush back from anywhere?”

“It’s over! It’s over!” Qu Wentai’s face turned ashen. “With Nishu here, I’m afraid even Tong Yehu Khan won’t side with us. Could it be that Gaochang is truly doomed?”

“Do not worry, Your Majesty,” Zhang Xiong hurriedly said, “The situation is extremely complex. Master Xuanzang has long been confident. With him here, he will surely protect Gaochang Kingdom from harm.”

“Oh?” Qu Wentai was surprised, “How can the Master repel these five thousand troops?”

“Well…” Zhang Xiong smiled wryly, “The specific details are probably known only to the Master. I only know a little, but the Master repeatedly instructed us not to tell you. He feared you might act rashly.”

Qu Wentai looked at Zhang Xiong in surprise, wanting to ask but, out of trust for Xuanzang, he nodded and said nothing more.

“Your Majesty,” Zhang Xiong said, “Although the Master is here, we cannot let our guard down. It seems that if Nishu attacks the city, his first target will be the north gate. I will gather the main cavalry force there. If anything happens, we can protect Your Majesty.”

Qu Wentai nodded silently. Seeing Zhang Xiong about to leave, he hastily instructed, “Tai Huan, send my personal guards to protect Deyong. If the city falls, immediately kill the princess and take Deyong out of the city.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Zhang Xiong quickly descended from the city wall.

Outside Gaochang City, in the midst of the military formation, Xuanzang spoke words that left everyone astonished. Even Long Shuangyuezhi couldn’t help but be shocked, staring at Xuanzang.

“That’s impossible!” Nishu shouted, “Who is Qu Deyong? He’s spent half his life in military campaigns, dominating the Western Regions. His central army is the most elite force in the Western Regions. How could Shuangyuezhi’s people possibly kill them all?”

Long Tuqizhi also laughed, “The Master must be confused. If my daughter could kill all of Gaochang Kingdom’s cavalry and central army, I would have already led my troops to attack the Gaochang royal city directly. Why waste words with that old scoundrel Qu Wentai!”
Xuanzang smiled and said, “But the princess did indeed manage it. Prince Ashina, the Western Regions are known for producing alfalfa, which is the best feed for warhorses, correct?”

“That’s right!” Nishu nodded.

“I have heard that among the alfalfa fields, there often grows a type of grass called Rehna grass, which closely resembles alfalfa.”

Having grown up around horses, Nishu naturally knew about it: “Yes, Master. This Rehna grass is now quite rare. It is toxic, and if horses eat it by mistake, it causes a feverish condition in their bodies. The horses soon sweat profusely, their hearts cannot bear the strain, and they eventually die from cardiac rupture. Therefore, herders burn this grass along with its seeds whenever they find it. It has become increasingly scarce.”

“Scarce does not mean nonexistent, right?” Xuanzang asked.

Nishu nodded in surprise, “Of course, it cannot be entirely eradicated. Master, what exactly are you trying to ask?”

“What I want to ask,” Xuanzang said, “is what happens if a person eats this grass?”

“If a person eats it…” Nishu paused, “I have indeed heard of people consuming it. It accelerates the blood flow, causing a flushed face and rapid heartbeat. However, as long as they don’t engage in strenuous activity, they recover after a short while. Even people in the Western Regions rarely hear about this grass nowadays. Master, how did you learn about it?”

Xuanzang pointed at Ashu: “Ashu told me. He is a Sogdian from Samarkand.”

Nishu suddenly understood: “Oh, Samarkand is near Ferghana. Ferghana is known for its Akhal-Teke horses, and the pastures there are lush. They might still have Rehna grass. But Master, what does this grass have to do with Shuangyuezhi?”

“It has everything to do with it,” Xuanzang replied. “The central army’s main duty is to protect the royal palace. Their barracks are just south of the palace walls, and their food is mainly supplied by the palace. If the princess ground the Rehna grass into powder and had it mixed into the mutton soup for the central army, what would happen?”

Nishu’s expression gradually changed. After pondering for a long time, he slowly nodded, “The soldiers, after drinking such mutton soup, would naturally suffer from a feverish condition. If they then ran quickly, they could die from cardiac rupture.”

“Hmph, nonsense!” Long Tuqizhi sneered, “The central army soldiers would only suffer if they ran or engaged in strenuous activity after drinking the soup. How could anyone predict when they would do that? Yet you said my daughter could kill these soldiers at any time. Master, how do you explain that?”

“Rehna grass is not the only factor,” Xuanzang said. “Imagine if the central soldiers had been consuming small amounts of Rehna grass every day for the past half month, allowing these toxins to slowly accumulate in their blood. Then, suddenly, in a confined space, these soldiers inhale smoke containing a substance that accelerates blood flow. Your Majesty, King Long, what do you think would happen?”

Everyone was stunned, staring at Xuanzang and then at Long Shuangyuezhi, involuntarily shivering. Only Qu Zhisheng seemed confused, as if he didn’t understand.

Xuanzang continued, “Why did the exiles not die? Because they were secretly stationed in the wells and canals where the princess couldn’t reach them. Why didn’t the central soldiers outside the hall die? Because although they ate Rehna grass, they didn’t inhale the smoke made from this powder.”

“Impossible!” Nishu leapt up, shouting, “What kind of substance is this? That would mean it can kill people invisibly!”

“Bah! Xuanzang,” Long Tuqizhi was even more enraged, “You demon monk, spouting complete nonsense! What Rehna grass, what kind of substance, it’s all baseless conjecture! Monk, do you think you can incriminate my daughter with these fabricated stories? Do you think my scimitar can’t sever your head?”

“I am not speaking falsely,” Xuanzang said calmly. He took out a cloth bag from his robe and slowly opened it. “Everyone, look, this is the powder of Rehna grass.”

Long Tuqizhi’s expression changed. He stared blankly at the cloth bag, momentarily speechless. Nishu’s face grew serious as he took the bag and opened it, finding a small amount of tawny powder inside. He sniffed it and immediately sneezed, his face flushing red. After calming himself for a while, his face returned to normal, and he nodded silently, “This is indeed Rehna grass. Master, where did you get this?”

“After Qu Deyong’s coup, the King of Gaochang ordered Zhang Xiong to take control of the Ministry of War and the central soldiers’ camp. I privately entrusted him with the task of controlling the logistics officer of the central camp,” Xuanzang explained. “Through a secret interrogation by the general, five baskets of Rehna grass powder were found in the officer’s hidden residence, three of which were already empty.”

Everyone fell silent.

Xuanzang then took out a small porcelain bottle from his robe and handed it to Nishu, “This is black powder I scraped from the mouth of the King David’s Jar last night. I don’t know what it is, but I believe that after consuming Rehna grass, lighting this powder and inhaling it would recreate the tragic scene of hundreds of central soldiers falling dead.”

Nishu carefully took the small porcelain bottle, opened it, and found a fingernail-sized amount of black powder inside. Unwilling to press Long Shuangyuezhi, he glanced at Long Tuqizhi and asked, “Your Majesty, King Long, what do you have to say?”

“Hmph,” Long Tuqizhi said coldly, “Who can prove this substance was scraped from the King David’s Jar?”

Nishu pointed at the King David’s Jar next to Qu Zhisheng, “Shall we scrape some more?”

Long Tuqizhi was speechless, finally saying, “Dashe, this monk is deceiving everyone with his demon words. Do you suspect my daughter based on his unfounded claims? I refuse to believe these two things can kill silently. There is no such thing in this world.”

Nishu ignored him, stood up abruptly, and walked to the five thousand cavalry opposite, raising the porcelain bottle high and shouting, “Warriors of the Western Regions, now a great monk from the Tang Dynasty accuses the princess of Karasahr, presenting this evidence, claiming it can kill! The King of Karasahr doesn’t believe it, and I also dare not believe it. Who among you dares to test this poison with your own body to reveal the truth to the world?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the ranks of soldiers erupted in commotion. Xuanzang was greatly shocked, “Prince Ashina, why sacrifice innocent lives—”

Nishu waved his hand to interrupt, his face dark, “Master, the warriors of the Western Regions value their honor above all. Your accusation against Shuangyuezhi is a grave insult to me! If no one dares to test the poison with their own body, I will taste this concoction myself to clear the name of the one I love!”

Before Xuanzang could say more, Qu Zhisheng silently stepped forward, reaching out to take the porcelain bottle from Nishu’s hand, preparing to ingest the contents. Nishu quickly snatched it back, “Are you crazy?”

“If you don’t believe it, I don’t either,” Qu Zhisheng said, his eyes red with determination. “Why should you be the only one to die for Shuangyuezhi? Her honor is more important than my life.”

Nishu was furious but said nothing, coldly smiling as he snatched the bottle back, “Qu Zhisheng, our business isn’t finished yet. I don’t want you to die like this.”

“So you think I will definitely die if I eat it?” Qu Zhisheng responded with a bitter smile, “I won’t die because I believe in Shuangyuezhi.”

Nishu was stunned, left speechless by his response.

At that moment, a knight rode out from the ranks, dismounted before them, and knelt, “Prince Ashina, I am a Dragon Knight of Karasahr. I am willing to use my life to prove the princess’s honor!”

Nishu nodded, “Warrior, what is your name? I will ensure the King of Karasahr takes care of your family.”

“No need,” the knight said confidently, “I believe I will not die!”

“Very well!” Nishu shouted, throwing the Rehna grass to the knight. The knight opened the pouch, swallowed the contents in one gulp, then took a few swigs from a wineskin, washing the Rehna grass down.

Everyone watched him silently, Xuanzang full of concern. After a moment, the knight’s face flushed as if he had drunk several pouches of strong liquor. Nishu sighed, took his hand, and led him to an upwind position. He took out the black powder from the porcelain bottle, lit it with a fire striker, and sure enough, the fingernail-sized black powder produced a thick smoke, boiling and swirling like heated soup.

Everyone’s mood grew heavy.

The knight unhesitatingly leaned into the smoke and inhaled. Instantly, he convulsed, clutching his throat, his eyes bulging and bloodshot. Nishu, shocked, quickly released him and stepped away. The knight struggled, flailing his arms as if trying to move forward, but after a few steps, he collapsed and died instantly.

“Amitabha,” Xuanzang intoned, his hands clasped in prayer, his eyes filled with tears.

The entire scene fell silent. The intense sunlight illuminated the faces of thousands, all pale and sweating.

Nishu’s face twisted with pain, his muscles twitching. He glanced at Long Shuangyuezhi and then asked Long Tuqizhi, “Your Majesty, do you have anything to say?”

“I…,” Long Tuqizhi stammered, sweat pouring from his forehead, “This is a setup! A complete setup!”

“So, Master, you are determined to accuse me?” Long Shuangyuezhi suddenly turned her head, sighing softly.

“Shuangyuezhi, I don’t doubt you!” Qu Zhisheng interjected before Xuanzang could respond. He looked agitated, his face flushed, and then turned angrily to Xuanzang, “Master, what grudge do you have against me? Why do you slander Shuangyuezhi?”

“Third Prince, wake up!” Xuanzang sighed deeply.

“I won’t wake up!” Qu Zhisheng cried, tears streaming down his face, “Master, I don’t want to lose Shuangyuezhi! We love each other truly; it is Akamana who has blessed me with happiness in this life. Master, I cannot live without Shuangyuezhi!”

He rushed to Long Shuangyuezhi, grabbing her hand with a hopeful expression, “Shuangyuezhi, I believe you. Let’s leave! Let’s not stay in the Western Regions anymore. Let’s go to the Tang Dynasty, to Jiangnan. Okay? Please?”

But Long Shuangyuezhi didn’t look at him, shaking off his hand. She stared coldly at Xuanzang. Xuanzang remained silent for a moment before speaking calmly, “Princess, every scheme has an end, just as every life returns to dust. Now that your plan has succeeded, you have become the butcher, and I am the meat. Gaochang is at your mercy, but I do not wish for the person you have deceived to leave this world with regrets.”

“Well said, Master, very well said!” Long Shuangyuezhi laughed coldly, standing up straight. In an instant, the previously weak and pitiful young girl transformed back into the fierce and regal princess from outside Yiwucheng. Qu Zhisheng was stunned, growing uneasy, even Nishu seemed uncomfortable.

She glanced around, laughing lightly, “Master, you truly are wise. That day outside Jiahe City, I shared my plan with you and made a bet, but I never thought you could unravel all my details so thoroughly.”

Xuanzang smiled wryly, “Princess, you flatter me. I assumed the King David’s Jar could grant three wishes, thus creating three interlinked schemes. But I still don’t understand one thing: how did you revive Qu Deyong? What was your plan after his revival?”

“Ha ha ha,” Long Shuangyuezhi laughed heartily, “Master, you are very curious. Yes, reviving Qu Deyong was part of the final plan. But the current situation is better than expected, so I no longer need to proceed with the final step to destroy Gaochang. Master, if you are still puzzled, then remain frustrated in your ignorance!”

Xuanzang was left speechless, shaking his head, saying no more. But this exchange drove Qu Zhisheng into madness.

“NO—” Qu Zhisheng screamed in agony, “This is impossible! Shuang Yue Zhi, you were forced by Xuanzang, weren’t you? I’ll kill him right now!”

Qu Zhisheng, filled with murderous intent, pulled a curved blade from the corpse of a palace guard and walked towards Xuanzang, gritting his teeth, “Master, I have always respected you and never been rude to you. Why did you harm me?”

“Third Prince, I told you outside Yiwu City that all beings in the three realms suffer because of self-attachment. You may ignore right and wrong, but you cannot ignore truth and falsehood,” Xuanzang quietly gazed at the blade, “I have always intended to save people, never to harm them.”

“I don’t need your salvation!” Qu Zhisheng shouted, his face twisted, “What does it matter to you whether my life is true or false? As long as I’m happy! Why do you interfere? I have believed in Buddha since childhood, but my Shuang Yue Zhi surpasses all Buddhas in this world. Even the vast three thousand worlds cannot compare to her!”

Saying this, he swung his blade down, the light reflecting into Xuanzang’s eyes. Xuanzang sighed deeply but did not dodge.

“Qu Zhisheng!”

Long Shuang Yue Zhi’s angry shout made Qu Zhisheng tremble and quickly stop. He turned around, looking at her expectantly, with a forced smile on his face, “Shuang Yue Zhi, you don’t want me to kill him? Then I won’t kill him. Let’s leave, shall we? Let’s go to Tang Dynasty and find a peaceful place to spend the rest of our lives quietly, okay?”

Long Shuang Yue Zhi sneered, “Qu Zhisheng—”

“Don’t say it—” Qu Zhisheng trembled all over, suddenly covering his face and kneeling on the ground, crying bitterly, “I beg you, Shuang Yue Zhi, don’t say anything. No matter what you want to say, don’t let me hear it. I don’t care whether your love for me is true or false, I don’t want to know. I just want to be with you. Shuang Yue Zhi, don’t wake me up. Shuang Yue Zhi…”

Qu Zhisheng lay on the ground, sobbing. At this moment, no one was near the King David’s Jar. Ashu quietly crawled over, picked up the King David’s Jar, and struggled to hide it under the broken carriage. Zhu Gui noticed in time, gave him a cold glance, and Ashu reluctantly let go and crawled back behind Xuanzang.

Zhu Gui glanced at the vase, sighed, and, having no desire to guard it, walked to Qu Zhisheng’s side, put his arm around his shoulders, and remained silent.

Seeing Qu Zhisheng in this state, Long Shuang Yue Zhi couldn’t bear it and sighed, “Qu Zhisheng, get up!”

Qu Zhisheng slowly lifted his tear-streaked face, “Shuang Yue Zhi, are you willing to come with me?”

Long Shuang Yue Zhi was silent for a moment, then said, “Qu Zhisheng, I want you to understand something. You are a prince of the Gaochang Kingdom, and I am a princess of the Yanqi Kingdom. From the moment we were born and saw this world, we were destined to be opposed to each other and could never be together.”

“No!” Qu Zhisheng wiped his tears, “Shuang Yue Zhi, we can love each other. For you, I am willing to give up this country, give up this identity.”

“But I cannot.” Long Shuang Yue Zhi said flatly, “When I was fifteen, my father would have me sit beside him during court sessions. At that time, I understood that as a princess of a country, my duty is to make this nation prosperous and strong, by any means necessary, at any cost. I know that I have hurt you deeply this time, but I want you to understand that since I pretended to fall in love with you, entered the Gaochang palace, and carried out my plan, I have never regretted it, nor have I ever felt guilty towards you. Because from my childhood, I had a belief instilled in my heart that the people of Gaochang are my enemies. My inherent mission is to destroy them. As the saying goes, ‘all warfare is based on deception.’ When two countries are at war, it is all about deceit. In my heart, Gaochang has always been a battlefield, and the days I spent with you were also a battlefield. In the palace, I deceived you, but it is no different from killing you in war. Third Prince, you are a good person, but in politics and war, it is often the good people who die.”

“Shuang Yue Zhi…” Qu Zhisheng said no more, staring at her blankly, then suddenly his body went limp and he sat on the ground. Zhu Gui hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

Long Shuang Yue Zhi turned her gaze to Nishu, smiling faintly, “Nishu, we have a marriage contract, but if you do not agree with me, you can dissolve it.”

Nishu gave a bitter smile, “Since the first time I saw you three years ago, I have been in love with you. When your father agreed to my marriage proposal, I naturally understood that it was merely for the needs of the Yanqi Kingdom, not because you fell in love with me. Shuang Yue Zhi, rest assured, since I could understand it three years ago, why would I not understand it now?”

Long Shuang Yue Zhi’s expression was indifferent, “Thank you.”

Nishu smiled confidently, “But Shuang Yue Zhi, one day, I will make you fall in love with me.”

“Really?” Long Shuang Yue Zhi smiled, “I look forward to it.”

Long Tuqizhi finally relaxed and laughed heartily, “Nishu, you will be my son-in-law in the future! Once we destroy the Gaochang Kingdom and behead Qu Wentai, I will marry you two!” He turned to his daughter and asked, “Shuang Yue Zhi, shall we attack the city now? The Gaochang capital is in chaos, we can surely capture it in one fell swoop!”

Long Shuang Yue Zhi nodded, mounted a war horse, and looked out at the Gaochang city in the distance. She had schemed for over a month, sparing no effort, and finally held the fate of the Gaochang Kingdom in her hands, yet there was no trace of excitement on her face. The allied cavalry of the three kingdoms were all eager, ready to attack at her command. Long Shuang Yue Zhi glanced at Qu Zhisheng, her expression somewhat forlorn.

“Father,” Long Shuang Yue Zhi said.

“Ah.” Long Tuqizhi happily ran over. Over the years, he had always followed his daughter’s lead. This time, her brilliant strategy had succeeded, making him even more admiring of her. “Daughter, what is it?”

Long Shuang Yue Zhi pointed at Qu Zhisheng, Xuanzang, and the others with her whip and said, “Order the army to clear the road and let these people go.”

Long Tuqizhi hesitated for a moment and then whispered, “But there are Gaochang scum among them!”

Long Shuang Yue Zhi didn’t answer, instead saying flatly, “Let them go!”

“Alright!” Long Tuqizhi reluctantly nodded, walked up to Qu Zhisheng, and kicked him, “Hmph, you little bastard, you’re lucky. Now get lost!”

Qu Zhisheng was kicked to the ground, covered in dust. He slowly got up, his tears mixing with the dirt on his face, making him look exceptionally grotesque. At this moment, Long Shuang Yue Zhi had already led the allied forces of the three kingdoms into a charging formation. Everyone had their bows drawn, waiting for her command to tighten their legs around their horses’ bellies and charge forward.

“Hahahaha—” Qu Zhisheng suddenly let out a tragic laugh, rushed over to pick up the King David’s Jar, and stood in front of Long Shuang Yue Zhi’s horse, staring at her with a crazed expression.

Long Shuang Yue Zhi frowned, “Why are you holding that broken vase? Get out of the way, or you’ll be trampled into minced meat by the horse’s hooves.”

But Qu Zhisheng just laughed foolishly, caressing the King David Vase as if he were touching a newborn baby, murmuring, “Akāmāna, come out, let me be with Shuang Yue Zhi. You promised!”

“Are you mad?” Long Shuang Yue Zhi exclaimed, “This is just a scam!”

“Third Prince!” Zhu Gui hugged him, crying, “Wake up! Third Prince!”

Xuanzang also noticed something was wrong with Qu Zhisheng, thinking that he must have been mentally overstimulated and had gone insane.

Qu Zhisheng just laughed foolishly, talking to the vase, “Akāmāna, why are you ignoring me? What do you want? Do you want to drink my blood? Come, I’ll give it to you. Drink your fill. Bless me and Shuang Yue Zhi to love each other forever, alright?”

As he spoke, he took up the curved blade and slashed his own arm. The blade cut deeply, and blood gushed out. He laughed crazily, “Come, drink! Drink!”

He placed the wound over the mouth of the vase, and the blood gushed towards the tin seal on the vase’s mouth. The tin seal, which was somehow made with just a hexagram imprint, quickly absorbed the blood. Blood flowed into the vase, and Qu Zhisheng, excited, danced around while holding the vase.

Long Shuang Yue Zhi sighed deeply, “Zhu Gui, quickly take him for treatment!”

“Third Prince, please stop scaring this old servant. Let’s go!” Zhu Gui cried as he struggled to take the vase away. Ashu also ran over to help, and the three of them wrestled together.

Xuanzang sighed repeatedly at the sight. Long Shuang Yue Zhi also shook her head, raised her arm, and commanded, “All troops, bypass them and attack Gaochang City!”

The army’s trumpets blared instantly. Amidst the piercing sounds, the cavalry spurred their horses, ready to charge. At this moment, the three who were wrestling suddenly stopped and stared dumbfounded at the King David’s Jar. Long Shuang Yue Zhi sensed something was wrong, looked down, and was shocked to see a wisp of black smoke rising from the vase’s mouth!