Never mind one rabbit—even a hundred or a thousand! For the current Han Xin, it was merely a matter of giving an order.
But Qingnu only wanted one rabbit.
A good snake keeps her word and never deceives; if she said one, then one it was!
As Qingnu took the rabbit and prepared to leave, Han Xin called out to stop her. The snake girl turned back to see Han Xin standing by the dirt road. He bowed with hands clasped and said, "Han Xin is willing to offer another wild rabbit as payment. I ask the Little Immortal Maiden to read my fortune once more."
Hearing this, Qingnu leaned back slightly and tossed the rabbit aside.
The rabbit flew into the air and was caught by Hongluan.
She hopped and skipped over to Han Xin, stepping onto a small mound to look down at him from a height. "One isn't enough anymore."
The price of one rabbit was for ordinary people. He was a king now; he couldn't be so stingy!
At the very least, it had to be two!
Just as Qingnu was about to state her demand, Han Xin continued.
"Never mind rabbits; even cattle, sheep, tigers, or deer—as long as the Little Immortal Maiden wishes to eat them, Han Xin can order men to deliver them!"
At these words, the smile on Qingnu's face grew even wider.
Oh, she had set her sights too low!
She nodded slightly, tapping her fingers together as she whispered, "Not bad, not bad. The lad from Huaiyin of yesteryear is the King of Chu today. It seems things really are different once one strikes it rich!"
"However, I don't want tigers or deer. A cow sounds good, though—bring me one! I'll cover all your fortune-tellings for the rest of your life. How about it?"
Han Xin nodded generously. "Deal!"
The King of Chu and the green snake girl huddled in the old woman’s small courtyard, warming themselves by a fire.
A cow was roasting over the bonfire.
It was a 'stray wild bull' that no one had claimed in the nearby fields—or so Han Xin's soldiers claimed. But Qingnu knew better. Where would a wild bull come from in a place like this? If they existed here, would she have needed to hunt wild boar back then?
The snake girl gnawed on the beef, speaking to Han Xin without looking up. "Tomorrow, send some money, grain, and plow-oxen to the people. Accumulate more merit and virtue."
Han Xin agreed. Only after Qingnu had eaten and drunk her fill did she leisurely pick up a tortoise shell.
Of course, she didn't need a tortoise shell to read Han Xin's fortune!
But for the sake of professionalism, the snake girl put on a bit of a show.
She wanted to adopt a sage-like air and stroke her beard, only to realize she didn't have one. She settled for a light cough into her fist and said, "Your reign as the King of Chu will not last. Being a lord is not your destiny. If you continue down this path, your life will be at risk."
"Find another way out as soon as possible!"
After hearing Qingnu's words, Han Xin laughed.
Seeing him laugh, Qingnu frowned.
"What, you don't believe me? I am the—"
Han Xin shook his head and said slowly, "No! I naturally believe the Little Immortal Maiden's words."
He had been in Xianyang and knew of the Jade Maiden of the Azure Heavens.
Qingnu tilted her head. "Then what are you laughing at?"
Han Xin explained, "I am the ruler of a state. If I have committed no fault, even the Son of Heaven cannot simply strike me down or punish me at will! As long as I govern the land of Chu peacefully and offer seasonal tributes, what can even the Han Son of Heaven do?"
"I appreciate your concern, Little Immortal Maiden."
At his core, Han Xin was a scholar-warrior with the mindset of the Warring States period.
He believed that as a vassal king, his relationship with Liu Bang should be like that between the various states and the Son of Heaven of Zhou.
But Liu Bang was no Son of Heaven of Zhou!
He was an emperor, one who had inherited the ideology of Ying Zheng.
The current era was no longer the Spring and Autumn or Warring States periods.
The Han court, which had fully adopted the framework of the Qin court, was fundamentally different from the Three Dynasties. It was an imperial system at its heart, not a feudal vassal system.
The titles of kings and lords were merely concessions made by Liu Bang.
As for the grand enfeoffment of meritorious officials as vassal kings, that old rogue was only keeping up a polite facade.
"Fine. I ate your cow and gave you this reading; I'm the one who got the better deal!"
Qingnu stood up, stretched, and patted Han Xin on the shoulder, completely unconcerned about the grease on her hands staining his royal robes.
The snake girl said with a chuckle, "When you die, I'll come to collect your body."
"My thanks to the Little Immortal Maiden," Han Xin replied.
The next morning, Qingnu prepared to return.
Before she left, Han Xin prepared an entire wagon full of meat for her, which made the snake girl very happy!
She drove the carriage, using frost and snow to keep the meat fresh, leisurely making her way toward Mt. Tai. But before she could finish even half the meat in the wagon, Hongluan brought back news that Han Xin had been stripped of his title as King of Chu and demoted to the Marquis of Huaiyin.
"Such is time, such is fate."
Qingnu shook her head and sighed.
Han Xin was someone who should not have been born in this era. The world he suited was that of the Warring States—an era of great contention.
In the seventh year of Han, Modu Chanyu led an army of four hundred thousand south.
Liu Bang summoned the vassal states and a Han army of three hundred and fifty thousand to march north!
Han Xin was not part of this battle.
Liu Bang was besieged at Mt. Baideng, where the winter cold pierced to the bone.
The old rogue stood atop Mt. Baideng, gazing at the distant Xiongnu army. Just as he was about to return to his tent, he heard the sound of the wind and snow change. The snow clouds in the sky gathered and dispersed as if paving a road for someone.
After a gust of snow swept past, a young girl in green wearing a bamboo hat appeared before Liu Bang.
Qingnu said, "If Han Xin were here, this battle would not be so difficult."
"Your father won't use him!"
Liu Bang shook his head and waved his hand. "Guan Ying and the others are already on their way. As long as your father holds this position, I can swallow these Xiongnu whole!"
Your father?
By Huangdi's grandfather, he dared call himself 'your father' in front of a snake?
Qingnu's vertical pupils glared. "Old Three Liu, you bastard! Whose father do you think you are?"
"Ahem..."
The old rogue coughed. "The Xiongnu's, of course!"
Qingnu stared at him for a long time before huffing. She then asked, "Will you kill Han Xin?"
Liu Bang did not answer. He rubbed his hands together and asked instead, "Brother Qingnu, let's not talk about that! That piece of jade you smashed out last time—I had someone carve it into an imperial seal. I'm keeping it for you, though I didn't bring it out for this battle."
Seeing that he would not answer her question, Qingnu sighed softly. "Keep it for now, then."
Liu Bang let out an 'aye' and asked again, "Brother Qingnu, you came all this way; surely you're here to help me?"
Qingnu glanced at him.
After a moment of silence, she raised a hand and pointed forward.
"Very well... I shall gift you a snowfall. Whether you can win depends on your own skill."
As Qingnu's voice fell, white snow surged toward the Xiongnu battle lines. The bitter cold atop Mt. Baideng vanished instantly.
The heavy snow disrupted the Xiongnu formations.
Liu Bang waited for the army led by Guan Ying to arrive. They attacked from the center, launching a counteroffensive against the Xiongnu.
But the grasslands were vast, and the Xiongnu were skilled in mounted archery. The Han army could not catch them, and the battle ended in a draw.
After returning to Chang'an, Liu Bang began to eliminate the kings of different surnames and enfeoffed members of the Liu clan as kings.
The old rogue led his armies, plowing through the world once more.
Emperor Gao was valiant, and the world fell into despair.
Winter, the eleventh year of Han.
Empress Lu and Xiao He invited Han Xin to the palace.
Outside Changle Palace, at the palace gates, Han Xin saw Qingnu again.
Before Qingnu could speak, Han Xin smiled. He asked, "Little Immortal Maiden, how did that wagon of meat taste back then?"
Qingnu replied, "It was delicious."
Han Xin smiled faintly upon hearing this. He pulled a silk handkerchief from his robe, which wrapped a piece of dried meat.
He offered the jerky to Qingnu, saying, "The Little Immortal Maiden is here to collect my body; you cannot come all this way for nothing. I originally planned to let you search for it yourself, but since we've met here, I might as well give it to you now! It's not much meat, a bit meager—I hope you'll forgive me."
Looking at the jerky in his hand, Qingnu sighed.
"Why must you be so clever at a time like this?"
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