Chapter 119: Gatherings and Partings, Drifting Sands

That fellow!

Wei Zhuang could only smile bitterly in silence as he watched Zi Nu grow farther and farther away from him.

Yet compared with women, he preferred the sword in his hand.

Without a woman, he would lose nothing. Without his sword, he would lose everything—as his father once had.

He knew that Zi Nu was no ordinary woman, and unlike Han Fei, he did not dare place his trust in anyone so easily.

Thinking of his father’s instructions, Han Fei could not reveal everything.

“Zi Nu, Brother Wei Zhuang, I hope you will not spread this for the time being. After all, it is difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood.”

Han Fei himself did not know much about the new lands across the Eastern Ocean.

“Rest assured, Your Highness.” Zi Nu nodded lightly. Though she carried many secrets, she was not someone anyone could control. Over the years, she had already prepared a way out for herself.

Wei Zhuang frowned. “Though I have not become the next Guiguzi, I still know better than to betray a lord’s confidence.”

“I naturally will not repeat it to others.” Zhang Liang immediately gave his assurance. In truth, he knew more than Han Fei did.

Han Fei raised a hand apologetically.

“The Northern Alliance was not formed to oppose Qin. Its purpose was to send the six states across the sea to open up new lands. According to the alliance charter, the Northern Kingdom has already found six commanderies for the six states.”

“There have indeed been rumors in every country, but with so many conflicting tales, it is difficult to tell what is true.”

Han Fei could not understand why the Northern Kingdom would be so generous.

So it was true after all!

Wei Zhuang gave a faint shake of his head.

“Then, a year from now, the Ninth Prince will sail for the Eastern Ocean, and these refugees will be the first immigrants.”

Rather than worry, Zi Nu seemed somewhat pleased. Xinzheng had never truly belonged to Han, and she would have preferred to see all the Han people leave.

“I fear this will disappoint you, Brother Wei Zhuang. Perhaps you could also go to the Northern Kingdom and make use of your talents.”

The King of Han was determined to leave, and Han Fei could not disobey the royal command.

A nation of northern barbarians!

Wei Zhuang shook his head. “It is said that the Northern King is descended from the ancient Huaxia people, but who can prove his lineage?”

“The northern wastes are vast and bitterly cold. How could one man subdue the wolves of the desert by his own strength? There must be some hidden truth behind it. Perhaps a mysterious power controls the Northern Kingdom and is using the Northern King’s hand to reach for the world.”

“This…” Was that truly possible?

Rationally speaking, the theory made sense, but Han Fei felt that it could not be so.

Hearing Wei Zhuang’s wild speculation, Lin Shu laughed as well.

Wei Zhuang was right that a mysterious power existed—but that power was under Lin Shu’s control, not the other way around.

“A disciple of the Ghost Valley sees only this much of the world.” Yan Fei chuckled.

She had forgotten that she, too, had once thought the same way.

At the thought of his close friend Jing Ke, Han Fei became even more certain of his judgment.

“Brother Wei Zhuang may not understand the affairs of the Northern Kingdom, and neither do I. But one person alone is enough to tell us the truth: whoever commands the northern Huaxia realm must share the same roots as the Central Plains.”

“Who?” Wei Zhuang asked with a faint smile, looking at Han Fei.

Could it be…?

Zhang Liang seemed to understand.

Han Fei smiled. “He is Jing Ke of Wei, known as the envoy worth a thousand pieces of gold for a single promise. He is also my close friend.”

“Heh. Ninth Prince, you base such certainty on a mere drunkard?”

Wei Zhuang felt that Han Fei was too young and rash, still ignorant of the wickedness in men’s hearts.

Han Fei nodded firmly. “Jing Ke is a true righteous man of this age. Wealth and power cannot subdue a knight who keeps his word and fears neither authority nor death.”

“Just like you, Brother Wei Zhuang. No one can truly change you.”

Wei Zhuang could not deny those words. Jing Ke’s sword intent was upright and imposing, carrying an unyielding resolve that pressed ever forward.

“Perhaps the Northern King is indeed a remarkable man. But the Northern Kingdom is not the legitimate order. Qin grows stronger by the day, and it will never allow the Northern Kingdom to continue accumulating power.”

Han Fei nodded. “The Northern King understands this clearly. He knows he cannot win the allegiance of the people of Yan and Zhao. Otherwise, the Northern Army would already have conquered both states.”

“My husband, this Ninth Prince is actually speaking in your favor!” Shaoshao could not help laughing softly. She was very fond of such live dramas.

After glancing at her father, little Yan’er said nothing. She was still angry, but she could not fight Third Madam for her place.

“Fortune changes with the times. Given several decades, or even a century, of growth, the Northern Kingdom could become another Qin. But destiny has its limits.”

Wei Zhuang was ready to abandon the matter. Han had never possessed much chance of victory to begin with, and with the Han royal house now intent on moving the state elsewhere, it would be even less capable of resisting Western Qin.

The atmosphere grew somewhat stifling, so Zi Nu poured tea for them.

“If the Ninth Prince settles several hundred thousand immigrants in the Eastern Ocean and establishes a principality, he will become a ruler in his own right. With such exalted status, the sisters of Violet Orchid Pavilion would hardly dare aspire to him.”

Han Fei shook his head with a bitter smile.

“The principality has not yet been established, Zi Nu. What virtue or ability could I possess to rule a state?”

Several hundred thousand refugees could become an army of one hundred thousand.

Wei Zhuang had heard the important point.

“Once the Ninth Prince leaves Han, the kingdom’s fate will become even harder to change. Your Highness, are you truly willing to accept this?”

Willing?

Of course he was not!

Han Fei wore a pained expression. If only there had been wine beside him to dull his throat.

“The king’s command cannot be disobeyed.”

As for Han Wang An, Wei Zhuang had not the slightest respect for him.

“Han Fei, will you simply watch as more than two million Han people remain homeless, perhaps even losing their homes and families amid the flames of war?”

Han Fei felt as though a thorn had pierced his heart.

Wei Zhuang was deeply unwilling to accept this. He did not want Han to fall—not only to prove himself, but also because he hoped one day to defeat that man and the state to which he had pledged himself.

The hatred of a fallen nation and the vengeance of a ruined family made it impossible for Wei Zhuang to submit to Qin. Even temporary surrender was beyond him.

“Han Fei, Han still has one opportunity left—the final opportunity.”

Wei Zhuang’s expression grew solemn.

“What opportunity?” Han Fei asked, bewildered.

Ah.

The corner of Wei Zhuang’s mouth twitched. As expected, no one could see through his brilliant plan.

“Han has reached its most critical hour. King An of Han, the Crown Prince, and the Fourth Prince are all without the virtue or ability to save two million Han people from misery. Now, within the Han royal house, only the Ninth Prince is capable of shouldering the great task of restoring Han and resisting Qin.”

Zhang Liang nodded along, then suddenly realized what Wei Zhuang was implying.

“Brother Wei Zhuang, do not speak of this again.” Han Fei’s expression turned grave.

Ah. So he truly could not be raised up.

Wei Zhuang was genuinely disappointed.

“Though I am not talented, I have come to understand one principle. Gentlemen, will you hear me out?”

“Please enlighten us, Your Highness,” Zhang Liang replied at once.

Wei Zhuang nodded faintly, while Zi Nu looked on expectantly.

Han Fei rose and opened the wooden window. He gazed quietly at the clouds drifting beneath the moon at the edge of the sky. Before them, a calm yet unyielding figure slowly emerged.

“Heaven and earth are ever-changing. Though the various states are united above and below, the common people remain scattered like loose sand.”

“Force can suppress human nature, but it cannot unite human hearts. Harsh officials wound the people, while Confucian virtue remains insubstantial. Only one power can gather the scattered grains of the world.”

To proclaim himself king or hegemon was not what the Ninth Prince desired. He hoped only to see a world governed by justice and clarity.

Han Fei paused, and Wei Zhuang immediately countered him.

“States rise and fall, gather and disperse. How much more so the people, scattered like sand? No force can unite the world’s drifting sands forever.”

Han Fei smiled faintly and nodded with conviction.

“Only a public law agreed upon by all the people can truly unite their hearts. A public law that is just, fair, rigorous, and transparent recognizes no distinction between kings, nobles, or commoners. When the Son of Heaven breaks the law, he is guilty in the same way as an ordinary subject.”

So it was the Way of Law!

Wei Zhuang lowered his head and pondered for a moment before speaking.

“All things are governed by law, and all people possess both public and private interests. Yet the strength wielded by kings, nobles, generals, and ministers over the people differs greatly. The world has always been one where the strong devour the weak, and the powerful are revered.”

“The Ninth Prince’s Way of Law is sufficient to establish a school and found a doctrine, but the path of law is even more arduous. Compared with restoring Han, it is a still more hopeless endeavor.”

Han Fei understood that perfectly.

“All things are difficult at the beginning. It may be impossible to expect the Son of Heaven to be judged equally with the common people—but what of generals, ministers, and learned officials? What of making them equal before the law? The royal house of a state is distant from its people, and much of the world’s evil originates with scholars, officials, and warriors. Brother Wei Zhuang, do you disagree?”

Lin Shu’s eyes brightened.

No wonder Ying Zheng was determined to obtain Han Fei!