Love itself was not wrong, but for a man, especially a monarch, to make love the entirety of his life, constantly focusing on his beloved woman and neglecting state affairs, was problematic.
Before meeting Xi Shi, Fu Chai was not a completely incompetent ruler.
Fu Chai’s war with Yue was to avenge his father.
As neighboring countries, small conflicts were inevitable. Once, Fu Chai’s father He Lu suddenly decided to personally lead troops to attack Yue. At that time, Goujian had just ascended to the throne after his father’s death. He Lu believed Goujian was inexperienced and would be an easy target.
Unexpectedly, it was not Goujian who was defeated, but He Lu himself, due to underestimation.
Goujian is like a newborn calf not afraid of the tiger, with battle tactics that break the mold. He selected a suicide squad, bare-chested and sensual, holding sharp blades, forming three rows, stepping deliberately towards the Wu army, shouting: “We invade the upper kingdom to punish, willing to die to redeem the sins of the King of Yue!” Their voices echoing through the sky.
The Wu soldiers had never seen such a formation and couldn’t understand what trick the Yue army was playing.
But if not a beauty strategy, why were they displaying their youthful, sensual bare chests? The Wu soldiers watched, guessing countless reasons. Before they could react, these tall and handsome young men were already in front of them, suddenly raising their blades, stabbing themselves in the neck one after another, falling dramatically.
It turned out they were performing a collective suicide act.
What is truly “The wind blows cold over the Yi River, a brave warrior goes and never returns”? This was it.
The Wu soldiers stood dumbfounded, looking at each other.
The scene was so shocking that they were at a loss.
Just as the Wu army was still confused and in a daze, the Yue army suddenly erupted with drums and horns, charging with lightning speed, overwhelming the Wu soldiers.
The Wu troops couldn’t withstand the attack and could only flee.
During the retreat, the Yue general Linggu Fuyong charged forward, throwing a long spear towards Wu’s leader Helu. Helu dodged quickly, avoiding a head shot but getting hit in the foot. Shocked and wounded, Helu returned home, fell ill, and soon died, heading to heaven or hell to settle accounts with Goujian’s father.
This was the famous “Carrying Li Battle”.
Before closing his eyes, Helu called his son Fuchai and gave his last words: definitely destroy Yue to avenge his father!
Fuchai was obedient, training troops daily to prepare for revenge.
As a monarch with many affairs, Fuchai feared forgetting his father’s words, so he had singers constantly remind him: “Fuchai, have you forgotten the hatred of the Yue people killing your father?” Fuchai would respectfully stand and answer, “This king dare not forget!”
War was simply about killing or being killed, with life considered cheap. Governments then didn’t promote quality births but quantity, hoping children could form football and cheerleading teams. No one considered global population explosion, only ensuring enough people for war.
War, when will vengeance ever end?
Fu Chai was once a peerless hero and the hegemon of the Spring and Autumn period, who was defeated by Xi Shi. Others say that lovers’ intelligence quotient equals zero. At this moment, Fu Chai’s intelligence was not just zero, but had likely invaded negative numbers.
Some men are like this: when they don’t love, they’re indifferent, but when they love, it’s as if only she exists in the entire world. They revolve around her every day, loving her more than themselves. Willingly pouring out their emotions like an endless river, proving to themselves and the world that besides teeth, love is the most difficult thing.
Xi Shi should have been happy, having a man so devoted to her, cherishing her as if she might melt in his mouth or break in his palm. And this man was the lord of a nation.
But Xi Shi was not happy. Some things are like this: easily obtained are not cherished, while what cannot be obtained is the best – including men, including love. Xi Shi felt this life, this type of man, was not what she wanted. She did not like wealth and honor, nor luxury.
Sometimes in the deep of night, lying beside Fu Chai and hearing his thunderous snoring, Xi Shi tossed and turned.
She felt desolate.
Why wasn’t this man Fan Li?
Xi Shi could not forget the feeling of Fan Li embracing her the night before she left Yue. This was the first time she had been embraced by a man, the first time she had been so intimate with the opposite sex. Fan Li’s embrace was warm. In the silent night, Xi Shi heard Fan Li’s powerful heartbeat, and the unique male scent on Fan Li’s body shocked her like a surging tide.
At that time, Xi Shi wanted to be Fan Li’s woman. She wanted to give herself to Fan Li.
Fan Li did not want her.
He desperately restrained himself, even biting his lips until they bled.
Finally, Fan Li did not take Xi Shi. He only kissed her forehead lightly, a kiss so shallow and faint, yet leaving a persistent trace. Xi Shi felt as if Fan Li’s sigh brushed past her ear, faint and barely perceptible, dissolving into the night.
Xi Shi thought that if, at that time, Fan Li had taken her, she would still be pure.
Now, she was no longer her pure self.
Xi Shi sighed, just like Fan Li’s sigh that night – light, barely perceptible, quickly dissolving into the night.
Caught a cold. Fu Chai first had body aches, chills, and even shivering; then headache, nasal congestion, runny nose, and then coughing, expectorating thin white phlegm. Xi Shi felt very guilty. Xi Shi personally went to the kitchen, boiled brown sugar ginger soup, then sat by the bed, feeding Fu Chai spoonful by spoonful.
Xi Shi shed tears: “My lord, I shouldn’t have. On such a cold day, I still made my lord accompany me to climb Gusu Terrace.”
Fu Chai laughed: “It was this king’s wish to accompany the beauty, it has nothing to do with her.”
Xi Shi was uneasy, her face full of panic: “But my lord is sick, because of me.”
If the prime minister finds out, he’ll scold me as a Mei Ji, a Da Ji, a femme fatale.”
Fu Chai said: “Don’t mind that old fellow Wu Zixu, he’s getting senile.”
Xi Shi was still terrified, her voice trembling: “I’m afraid to see Prime Minister Wu. Every time I see him, I have nightmares where he takes a sword and scolds me, calling me a disaster of beauty, a femme fatale. Then I dream that Prime Minister Wu catches up to me and kills me with one sword. So scary!”
Xi Shi’s terror and helplessness made Fu Chai’s heart ache even more, as if pierced by a thousand arrows. He comforted Xi Shi: “My beauty, no, that old fellow Wu Zixu wouldn’t dare! Even if he had the courage of heaven, he wouldn’t dare do this to the woman this king loves.”
Xi Shi nodded: “I hope Prime Minister Wu won’t kill me.” Xi Shi put on a deeply affectionate look, shyly saying: “My lord, I want to stay by my lord’s side and accompany my lord for a lifetime.”
Fu Chai was very happy. He felt this illness was worth it. Although Fu Chai was a supreme ruler, he was also human and emotional. He believed the emotions he released were finally rewarded. It seemed heaven was watching, and he not only got Xi Shi’s body but also her heart.
Zheng Dan died.
At the moment of her death, Zheng Dan still couldn’t understand how she was inferior to Xi Shi, why their fates were so different.
