rose from his mat to take his leave, an idea suddenly struck him and he said, ‘Perhaps Your Highness might like to consult my friend, the scholar Tian Guang. He is old and in poor health, but he is wise and has a big heart.’
The Prince summoned Scholar Tian to his palace. He personally welcomed the elderly man at the door and led him inside. When the two were alone, the Prince knelt respectfully in front of him and dusted off the mat for him to sit on. He moved close to him and said, ‘The states of Yan and Qin cannot co-exist. Will you, sir, please ponder on this and give me advice?’
‘Your Highness may have heard falsely that I am still in my prime. Alas! I have long ago lost the bloom of youth and become old. But that is no excuse for neglecting affairs of state that are of such urgency. I am much honoured that Your Highness considers me sufficiently worthy to be consulted.
‘Among my friends is a man named Jing Ke, commonly known as Master Jing. He likes to drink in the market-place, read books and handle the sword. Originally, he came from the state of Wei but, as you know, that state has largely been annexed by Qin and is now mostly under the command of King Zheng. Master Jing has become stateless and wanders from place to place looking for employment. He holds little love for King Zheng.
‘Although he likes to drink too much and mingles with butchers and musicians, he is a learned scholar and loves books. When he first came here, I invited him to stay and he lived at my home for some time. His friends are all talented, upright and honest. Master Jing is not an ordinary man. It is most unusual for a scholar to be so expert at handling the sword. Your Highness should get to know him.’
The Crown Prince listened carefully and replied, ‘I would very much like to meet him. Can you arrange this?’
Scholar Tian inclined his head and said, ‘Your wish is my command. I respectfully obey.’ He rose from his mat and the Prince escorted him to the gate. As they bade each other goodbye, the Prince added, ‘The things we have discussed today are important matters of state. Please do not divulge them to anyone.’
Scholar Tian nodded and said, ‘I will not.’
On his return, the old scholar summoned Master Jing and said, ‘Prince Dan wishes to see you in his palace. You should go there at once.’ As Master Jing prepared to leave, Scholar Tian added, ‘I have heard that when an elderly gentleman carries out a mission, he should not cause others to doubt him. But today the Prince said to me, “Please do not divulge what we have discussed.” This means that His Highness does not have full confidence in me …’ At this point, Scholar Tian hesitated and looked at Master Jing intently. Deciding to impress upon the young man the gravity of the situation and spur him into action, he continued, ‘Please go quickly to the palace and inform His Highness that I have already died. That way he will be reassured that I have neither spoken nor revealed his secret.’ Then he cut his own throat and died.
Master Jing was shocked and tried to save him but it was too late. He hurried to see the Prince, and informed him of the old man’s suicide. Prince Dan was saddened, and went to pay his respects. At the sight of Scholar Tian’s body, the Crown Prince bowed twice, knelt, approached on his knees and wept. Then he said, ‘The reason I told him not to speak was because I did not want him to jeopardise my plans. And now he has used his suicide to show me that he obeyed my instruction. It was certainly not my intention for him to do this. I am devastated.’
The two mourned the old man together. Then the Prince opened up to Master Jing. ‘Yan is weak and has suffered greatly from war,’ he said. ‘Even if I were to conscript my entire state, our forces would not be sufficient to oppose Qin. My secret scheme is to engage one of the world’s bravest and strongest men and dispatch him to Qin. Planned properly, there is a remote possibility that he might succeed in kidnapping King Zheng, thereby forcing him to return all the territory he has appropriated from the feudal lords. Wouldn’t that be splendid? But even if that were impossible, the warrior could just stab him to death. With the death of King Zheng, there would be no central commander. When Qin’s armies learn that the feudal lords from all the other states are joining together and sending a mighty united force against Qin, they would become confused due to lack of direction from the top. Each Qin general would want to be the supreme commander and a power struggle would ensue. Then Qin would surely be defeated.’
Master Jing was reluctant and protested that his capabilities were limited. But Prince Dan reminded him of the suicide of his benefactor, Scholar Tian, who had gallantly given up his life for the cause. The Prince bowed humbly before the designated assassin and pressed him not to betray his old friend’s trust or render his suicide meaningless. There was a long pause. Then Master Jing finally consented.
The Prince was delighted and immediately gave him the title of a high dignitary. He lodged him in a well-appointed house, and showered him with gold and privileges. Every day the Prince visited him, giving him carriages, horses, beautiful women, jewels, rare objects and whatever else Master Jing might desire, so as to satisfy his every whim.
After some days of reflection, Master Jing said to the Prince, ‘In order to be admitted into the court of King Zheng and come face to face with him, we must tempt him with the promise of great profit. Now, the King of Qin has offered a reward of one thousand catties of gold and the revenue from ten thousand households for the capture of General Fan. If we could find a way to get hold of General Fan’s head and present it to King Zheng along with a map of Yan’s district of Dukang, then His Majesty would be sure to admit me and grant me an audience. Thus would I get the opportunity to serve Your Highness and avenge the hatred you hold against him.’
But the Prince replied, ‘General Fan came to me as a last resort, in poverty and distress. I am unwilling to violate his trust merely to fulfil my selfish desires. Will you please come up with another scheme, sir?’
Master Jing turned the matter over in his mind and made his own plans without revealing them to the Prince. He sought out General Fan and the two men met in private.
‘King Zheng’s treatment of you cannot be said to have been kind,’ Master Jing began. ‘I hear that your father, mother and entire family have all been beheaded. And now there is a reward of one thousand catties of gold and the revenue of ten thousand households offered for your capture. Tell me, sir, do you intend to do anything about all this?’
General Fan heaved a great sigh and wept bitterly, ‘Day after day I think about it and suffer constantly. I grit my teeth and the pain seeps into my heart and marrow. But every plan I consider seems full of flaws. Verily, sir, I do not know what to do.’
Master Jing stared at the general and said, ‘I hold on my tongue a single word with which you can accomplish all that you desire. It will free Yan from its ordeal and avenge your hatred. How about it?’
The general leaned towards him and asked, ‘What is that word?’
Jing Ke replied, ‘Head!’ There was a long silence as the word sank in. Then Master Jing continued, ‘I would like to have your head in a box to present to the King of Qin. Then His Majesty will be delighted and will be sure to grant me an audience. With my left hand I will grab his left sleeve. With my right hand I will stab his chest with a dagger. That way, you will have achieved all your goals, including the repayment of your debt to the Prince who is risking his own life to give you shelter.’
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