CCWAD – Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen: The Stratagem of Self-Inflicted Injury

Epigraph:

“As Li Shishi’s dagger plunged into my shoulder, I saw the resolve in her eyes. ‘This stab is for Tong Guan,’ she whispered in my ear, ‘and it is also our pledge of allegiance.'”

—

The appearance of Tong Guan’s secret envoy was like a stone cast into a hidden current, not causing a tidal wave but accelerating the churning beneath the surface. Following Li Shishi’s instructions, Yan Qing did not respond hastily. Instead, through specific channels, she conveyed a vague signal to Tong Guan’s side: “I need time to consider, and I need to see more sincerity.” This served to whet the opponent’s appetite while buying time for their own preparations.

Concurrently, Yan Qing began to consciously intersperse “worries” about the court’s movements into the occasional peace messages exchanged with Liangshan. She particularly emphasized hearing that Tong Guan was adamantly pushing for suppression, and even if amnesty were granted, it would likely not be sincere, with potential complications arising later. These pieces of information were relayed back to Liangshan through special channels. While not explicitly opposing amnesty, they planted deeper seeds of doubt in the minds of Lu Junyi and other leaders who were already hesitant about it.

Li Shishi’s actions were even quicker. A few days later, she brought news that through the machinations of certain “friends,” Cai Jing had apparently caught wind of Tong Guan’s private dealings with the Liangshan leaders. He was quite displeased, viewing Tong Guan’s actions as overstepping his authority and disrupting his own potential amnesty plans. The debate within the imperial court between the factions advocating for “suppression” and “pacification” of Liangshan became even more subtle and intense due to this perceived interference.

“The time is almost right,” Li Shishi said, visiting that night with a grave expression. “Tong Guan is inherently suspicious. If he doesn’t receive your definitive answer of allegiance soon, he might suspect something is amiss. We need to give him an ‘explanation,’ one that will convince him and further inflame the conflict between him and Cai Jing.”

“What explanation?” A premonition of ill omen arose in Yan Qing’s heart.

Li Shishi withdrew a short dagger, less than a foot long, from her sleeve and placed it on the table. The dagger had an ancient, rustic design, but its blade was as thin as a cicada’s wing, exuding a chilling aura.

“The stratagem of self-inflicted injury,” Li Shishi’s voice was calm and unwavering, her eyes sharp as knives. “You need to get injured, and then attribute it to Cai Jing’s ‘warning’ or an attempt to ‘silence’ you.”

Yan Qing looked at the dagger, her heart suddenly constricting. She instinctively touched her smooth neck and arms. Since her transmigration, although she had faced many dangers, she had never experienced a real wound from a blade.

“Must… it be like this?” Her voice was a little dry.

“This is the fastest and most effective method,” Li Shishi’s gaze was unyielding. “When Tong Guan learns that you were attacked because of your contact with him, his first reaction will not be to suspect you, but to believe it was Cai Jing or his faction. This will not only explain why you have been slow to provide valuable intelligence (due to being ‘warned’ or ‘monitored’), but it will also add fuel to the fire, making Tong Guan even more determined to suppress Liangshan, and might even prompt him to take more drastic action, creating an opportunity for us.”

She paused, looking at Yan Qing’s slightly pale face. Her tone softened slightly, but carried a brutal honesty. “Moreover, Yan Qing, we both need this ‘pledge of allegiance.’ You risk danger for me, and I scheme for you. With this stab, we will truly be on the same boat, with no room for turning back.”

Yan Qing remained silent. She knew Li Shishi was right. In this vortex of danger, verbal alliances were fragile. Only by sharing secrets and shedding blood together could true, albeit fragile, trust be established. This was not only to gain Tong Guan’s trust but also to solidify the dangerous and peculiar alliance between her and Li Shishi.

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, the last trace of hesitation in her eyes vanishing, replaced by a desperate resolve.

“Alright,” she said, just one word.

A complex emotion flickered in Li Shishi’s eyes, a mixture of admiration and pity, but she quickly regained her composure. She picked up the dagger and walked behind Yan Qing.

“It will hurt a bit, bear with it,” her voice sounded in Yan Qing’s ear, her warm breath brushing against her hair. “I’ve chosen the spot, the shoulder blade. It looks dangerous, but it avoids the bones and muscles, just a flesh wound. I will control the force.”

Yan Qing closed her eyes, her muscles tensing, awaiting the anticipated sharp pain. She could feel Li Shishi’s cool fingertips lightly pressing behind her left shoulder, confirming the spot.

The next moment—

“Squelch!”

A dull thud of a blade entering flesh!

Intense pain exploded from her left shoulder, as if a red-hot iron had seared it, rapidly spreading to half her body. Yan Qing let out a muffled groan, cold sweat instantly breaking out on her forehead. Her body uncontrollably lurched forward, but she managed to brace herself against the table, preventing a fall.

She could clearly feel the strange sensation of cold metal embedded in her warm flesh, and the accompanying fiery, tearing pain. Blood quickly flowed out, soaking her black night-clothes and leaving dark stains.

Li Shishi swiftly withdrew the dagger, her movements clean and decisive, drawing a spray of blood. She immediately took out the prepared hemostatic powder and clean cloth from her懷中, skillfully stopping the bleeding and bandaging Yan Qing. Her movements were steady and quick, her gaze focused, as if performing a routine task.

“The wound isn’t deep, but it looks frightening enough,” Li Shishi said softly after finishing the bandaging, looking at Yan Qing’s pale face and tightly clenched lips, a result of the pain. “Avoid water for the next few days, and change the dressing on time. To outsiders, say you were ambushed by a thief last night. The attacker’s skill was unknown, and they only left you with the words, ‘Don’t meddle in other people’s business.'”

Yan Qing, enduring the throbbing pain in her shoulder, nodded, sweat trickling down her temples. She watched as Li Shishi meticulously wiped clean the dagger stained with her blood and returned it to her sleeve.

“This ‘pledge of allegiance’… I accept it,” Li Shishi looked at her, her gaze deep. “Yan Qing, from this day forward, our fortunes are shared.”

The pain made Yan Qing’s thoughts unusually clear. Looking at the woman who had personally plunged the dagger into her body, yet had also carefully bandaged her wound, a complex feeling welled up within her. Was it hatred? It didn’t seem so. Was it fear? Certainly, there was some. But more than that, there was a sense of calm acceptance, as if fate had been sealed, and a twisted sense of camaraderie forged in battle.

“Our fortunes are shared,” she repeated, her voice trembling slightly from the pain but carrying undeniable weight.

The next day, the news of Yan Qing’s “attack” quietly reached Tong Guan through specific channels. Just as Li Shishi had predicted, Tong Guan was furious. Although he didn’t make a public outcry, he became even more convinced that Cai Jing’s faction was behind it, sabotaging his plans. The undercurrents within the court thus became even more turbulent.

Yan Qing, meanwhile, was “recovering” in her small courtyard. The wound on her shoulder was a constant reminder of the precarious situation she was in, and also a reminder of the alliance forged with Li Shishi through blood.

She knew that after this incident, there was no turning back. The path ahead either led to the slim hope of survival and a future they both desired, or it led to an abyss.

—

(End of Chapter 19)